Light, Darkness, and Balance
by Tsukiyomaru
Summary: An original story of a new digimon team! As more digimon enter the human world, more chaos ensues. It's up to a new team of humans and digimon to stop both worlds from being destroyed by evil! But the Darkness is not always the enemy. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone and welcome to my digimon story!

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon or the small part of a song Celena sings.

Chapter One: Introducing Everyone!

"Bye guys!" Celena yelled to her friends. "Man, what a great practice." She said to herself as she began to walk home. She slung her guitar case over her shoulder by it's strap and began to hum the tune of the last song they played. A rumbling in her pocket snapped her back to reality.

She pulled out a small digivice from her pocket and pushed a button on it. A white fairy like digimon with a moon symbol on her forehead came out in a flash of light. She yawned and then smiled at Celena. "Good morning."

"It's five o'clock Lunamon." Celena said with a smile. Lunamon shrugged and began floating next to Celena.

"Well it's morning for me." Luinamon said with a sleepy smile. "Did you have a good practice?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah. I think we're getting better." Celena answered. She crossed the street and ignored the looks people were giving her. Although digimon were well known in the human world, it wasn't normal to see one floating by. Let alone with a red haired girl caring a guitar case on her shoulder. "Although I'm a little worried. I hope we're good enough to play in the show." She added worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you and your friends will do fine. Oh! Can we walk through the park? I love seeing the flowers." Lunamon asked excitedly.

Celena thought about it. The park was pretty and it was a nice day. Although walking through the park added fifteen minutes to the walk home from her friend's house. She looked back at the digivice and pushed a button. It displayed the time as 5:05. "Yeah, we have time."

"Hurray!" Lunamon chimed. She and Celena walked, or floated, through the park. They both took a deep breath and smiled. The fresh air and flowers were definitely worth the extra time to get home. They both loved the feeling they got when they walked through the park.

She lightly began to sing one of the songs, "Habataitara modorenai to itte. Mezashita no wa aoi aoi ano sora." She and Lunamon continued to walk through the park and Celena continued to sing. She was so wrapped up in singing that she failed to notice a large bird in the sky.

It circled the area and watched it's prey. It knew they were defenseless, but a careful hunter must always be intelligent. It was possible that they were hiding something. It was possible that they were stronger than they looked. Although, it also had a job to do. It couldn't afford to take to long on it's meal. It had a job to do. It plummeted down towards it's prey with lightening speed.

"Watch out!" Lunamon yelled suddenly. She pushed Celena out of the way, just in time to avoid the large blue bird hit where they had just been. It roared in anger and turned to glare at Celena and Lunamon. Lunamon glared right back and ready herself for a fight.

"What is that thing?" Celena asked.

"Saberdramon. It's an Adult level digimon." Lunamon answered. "Tear Shot!" she cried as she sent a large frozen ball shaped like a tear at Saberdramon. It hit the bird's mouth and it roared in annoyance.

"Why you little annoying sprite!" Saberdramon roared. It flapped it's wing and created a surge of wind. The wind pushed Lunamon back and she landed on the ground.

"Lop Ear Ripple!" Lunamon cried as she began spinning. Her body became covered in ice and she rammed into Saberdramon. Saberdramon was hit back and let out a roar of rage. It got back up and hit Lunamon back with it's wing.

"I've had just about enough of you. It's feeding time!" Saberdramon roared as it charged forward with the intent of eating Celena and Lunamon.

"Metal Strike!" A voice called. A cannonball flew forward and hit Saberdramon back. It roared in pain and got back up with a malicious look in it's eyes.

"Who dares to interrupt my feeding!?" it roared in pure rage.

"We do." The voice from before answered. Celena turned to look behind her. A small purple-furred dragon with white furred claws, tail, muzzle, and chest and a red gem on his forehead emerged from the trees. Next to him walked a boy wearing all black with white hair and yellow cat-like eyes. He had a bow and quiver tied to his back.

"Well then it looks like I get to have a big meal today!" Saberdramon roared.

"Wrong." The boy said. He pulled the bow from his back and aimed an arrow at the bird. He let the arrow fly and it ripped into Saberdramon's wing. The dragon digimon jumped in front of Saberdramon's wing and let another cannonball fly from his mouth. It hit the arrow and drove it in further and the cannonball exploded.

"You are flightless without both of your wings." The boy said as he readied another arrow. He fired it and it hit Saberdramon's chest. It roared in rage again and sent a flurry of blue flames at the boy and dragon. They both dodged the attack and the boy prepared another arrow. "You!" he called to Celena and Lunamon.

"Us?" Celena asked.

"Yes. When I launch this next arrow, I want you to attack as well. Aim for the arrow in it's chest." The boy instructed.

"You heard him Lunamon." Celena said.

"Right. Tear Shot!" Lunamon yelled.

"Metal Shot!"

"Take this." The boy said calmly as he let the arrow fly. The three attacks hit Saberdramon. With one more roar of rage, the bird fell and exploded. The particles reformed into a large egg that was pink and blue striped.

"Thank you for your assistance." The boy said as he put the bow back in it's holder on his back. Celena took a better look at him now that he was in the light. He was wearing all black that didn't let his pale skin show. He even had black gloves. His face was very pale, as if he didn't get in the sun enough. Even the bow, quiver, and arrows were black.

"What's your name?" Celena asked.

"My name is Haseo." He said and bowed to Celena. "This is Dorumon."

"Hey." The dragon said with a smile.

"Well my name is Celena and this is Lunamon. Thank you for saving us." Celena said.

"It was no trouble Miss Celena." Haseo answered. "I hate to be rude, but we have somewhere we need to be."

"Where?" Celena asked. It seemed a little wrong to just walk away from someone who just saved your life. She at least wanted to talk a little bit with him and Dorumon. Who knows? Maybe they would become friends.

"I am headed for," Haseo paused and took out a small slip of paper from the pocket of his black jeans and read it out loud. "3695 Starline road." He answered.

"Are you serious!?" Celena yelled.

"Please refrain from yelling in my ear Miss Celena." Haseo said "And yes, I am quite serious."

"That's my address!" Celena shouted. "Oops, sorry."

"It is quite alright. If that is your address, then would you please escort us there?" Haseo asked.

"I guess." Celena said unsurely. "Just give me a minute with Lunamon." She said before pulling Lunamon over to the trees. "What do you think? Can we trust those guys?"

"I don't see why not. They did save us. Didn't your mom say something about somebody coming over to the house?" Lunamon asked.

"Well yeah, but then she said it couldn't work out. Maybe that changed." Celena said in wonder. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her house's number. After a few rings her mother picked up and she asked about Haseo. Her mother told her to bring Haseo over and she hung up.

"Alright then. You two ready to go?" Celena asked.

"Yep! Let's go!' Dorumon yelled excitedly.

The group continued through the park and came out to the city. Dorumon seemed to be excited about being in there and seemed to be bursting with energy. Haseo on the other hand, seemed to cling to Celena's side.

"Can I help you?" Celena asked.

"Oh, I apologize Miss Celena. It is just that I do not wish to get separated from you. I doubt I could maneuver around this large city as well as you." Haseo said as he put a small bit of distance between them.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Lunamon asked.

"No. I am most certainly not from around here." Haseo replied.

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Celena opened the door to her house and walked in. Lunamon floated in behind her, who was followed by the two boys. They walked into the main room and Celena announced, "We're home!"

Footsteps were heard coming from upstairs and shortly afterward a boy with red hair to match Celena's came running down the stairs. He stopped dead when he saw Dorumon and Haseo. Haseo reasoned that this boy was Celena's younger brother. He looked to be about ten had blue eyes, and was wearing a red t-shirt and red shorts.

"Wow." He said when he looked at Dorumon.

"What are you looking at, kid?" Dorumon asked impatiently.

"Please don't be so rude Ryu-nisan." Haseo said.

"You guys look awesome!" the boy yelled. He looked at Haseo and Dorumon as if they were the coolest things he had ever seen. "Is that a bow? Cool! Wow, what's that thing on your forehead? It looks cool too! Is this guy your boyfriend Celena?" he asked his sister.

"What? No, he is not my boyfriend! I don't have a boyfriend!" Celena yelled embarrassedly.

"Yeah. You're not cool enough to have this guy for a boyfriend. I'm surprised these guys are even hanging out with you." The boy said.

"We aren't hanging out Adam! I think they are going to stay here." Celena said. She turned back to Haseo who had a very confused look on his face. Dorumon seemed a little mad at Adam's yelling. She couldn't blame him though. Her brother could be very annoying sometimes. "I suppose I should introduce you guys. Haseo, this is Adam and vice-versa."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Adam." Haseo said with a small bow. "This is Dorumon."

"Hey kid." Dorumon said with a somewhat bored tone in his voice.

"You guys are so cool!" Adam yelled. "Can you show me how to use that bow later?"

"I do no think that is a wise idea. This is a very dangerous weapon." Haseo warned.

"Hello there. You must be Haseo and Dorumon." Evertyone turned to see Celena and Adam's mother standing in the entrance to the kitchen. She had a kind smile on her face and short brown hair. "I was wondering when you were going to get here."

"I apologize. We were delayed by a digimon attacking you daughter. We helped her in time and defeated the enemy digimon." Haseo answered and bowed slightly.

"Oh my. Are you all okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're alright. Do you know when dad is getting home?" Celena asked.

"He should be home soon. I suppose the three of you are wondering just who Haseo and Dorumon are, aren't you?" she asked.

"We sure are." Lunamon said.

"Well according to your father, there seems to be more digimon coming into the human world everyday. Normally this isn't a bad thing but some of the digimon have been bad and have been attacking people. Haseo and Dorumon are here to help take care of them." She explained.

"Okay, but why is he staying here?" Celena asked.

"His parents are good friends of your father." Her mother answered.

"Well I think this is great!" Adam yelled. "Maybe I'll even get a partner soon."

"I pity the digimon that gets stuck as your partner." Dorumon said.

"Ryu-nisan, please don't be so rude." Haseo said.

Later that night, their father arrived home from work. He seemed very excited to meet Haseo and Dorumon. Haseo politely answered any questions their father asked him about his parents, but remained sketchy on answers about himself.

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"So are you and Haseo getting along?" Celena's father asked later that night. Haseo and Dorumon were currently playing a game with Adam. Adam had managed to bug Dorumon enough to and Haseo seemed to be too polite to say no.

"I don't know yet. He's kind of weird." Celena answered.

"What do you mean?" her father asked.

"Well, he talks kind of strangely and he sort of seems to stay away from everyone." Celena answered. "And Dorumon is really rude. He's not mean, just rude.

"Just give them some time. I'm sure they will open up to you." Her father reassured her.

"I guess." Celena replied unsurely.

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"So, Saberdramon failed?"

"Yes, although I am not surprised. It was those two meddlesome punks again. However, it seems they had a little help from that girl you warned me about."

"Yes, things are getting interesting and GranDracmon seems to know exactly how to counter our moves. But don't worry. I have an excellent plan to get rid of them all."


	2. Chapter 2

The second chapter

The second chapter! I hope you all liked it as much as my friends did.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the concept of this story. That includes any anime references I make.

Chapter two: Fighting in School

"It is time to wake up Miss Celena."

Celena opened her eyes and glared at Haseo who was looking down at her in her bed. "Get out." She said through gritted teeth.

"Is something upsetting you?" Haseo asked innocently.

"Get out of my room!" Celena yelled. Haseo turned tail and ran out of the room as fast as he could. Celena glared at him as he ran out of the room, down the hall and down the stairs. Things were going to be pretty interesting with Haseo living here, and not in a good way.

She got out of bed and began getting ready for school. When she got downstairs she was in her school uniform. She walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks. Her family was sitting around the table and eating breakfast. Haseo, Lunamon, and Dorumon were there as well, but Haseo was in a school uniform.

"You're going to school too?" Celena asked a little nervously. Well of course he! But why hadn't this occurred to her before!? What would her friends think of Haseo? He wasn't exactly a normal boy and they might assume the worst. They would think they were a couple! 'Oh please say no.' she thought desperately.

"Yes." Haseo answered.

"Great." Celena lied.

A few minutes later the two of them were heading for school. Haseo was walking a little further away from Celena then the day before, but still a little too close for comfort. "Alright, let me see your school schedule." Celena said. Haseo handed her the piece of paper and she grew pale. "Biology, Computer Systems, Literature 10, Gym. And in all of the same rooms and at the same times as me?" she asked as she looked down at the other classes for the other semester and they were also the same as hers. "We have the same classes?" she asked astonished.

"We do? How odd." Haseo said as he took the paper back and looked it over.

"Hey! Celena!" a friend of hers called from a head of them. She was also wearing the school uniform and had shoulder length blonde hair.

Celena and Haseo both looked up. Celena's face grew even paler and she pushed Haseo a few feet away. "Oh crap! That's my friend Sakura. If she catches us together a rumor will start in no time! She has a major gossiping problem." Celena said. "Hey Sakura!" she called to her friend.

"Hey Celena! Who's your friend? Is he your boyfriend?" she asked with her 'give-me-the-dirt' voice.

"No. We're just friends and nothing more." Celena said in a serious tone.

"Right, I get it." Sakura said with a sly smile.

"I'm serious!" Celena yelled, but Sakura ignored her.

"I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you." Sakura said as she held out her hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Sakura." Haseo replied as he shook her hand. "My name is Haseo."

"Miss Sakura? How polite. If you aren't Celena's boyfriend then maybe we should go out some time." Sakura said with a wink.

"Oh no! You stay away from him!" Celena yelled.

"Oh? So you guys are a couple!" Sakura yelled victoriously.

"No, no, no, no!" Celena yelled. The rest of the walk to school was similar to that.

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"Come on guys! Play with me!" Adam yelled as he chased Dorumon and Lunamon around the house.

"Why don't you have school too!?" Dorumon yelled as he ran.

"An accident happened at school yesyerday and they had to close it." Adam replied. "Which means we can play all day!" he yelled happily.

"This kid needs Ritalin." Lunamon muttered to Dorumon as she floated next to him.

"I have no idea what that is, but if it will calm him down, then I agree." Dorumon said. "Can't we get out of here?" Dorumon asked. The two of them rushed into Celena's room and dove into the closet. "OW!"

"Shut up, he'll find us." Lunamon hissed.

"Sorry. A high-heel just tried to kick my ass on it's own." Dorumon said. "Damn. Your partner has a lot of clothes and shoes."

"Well Celena likes to be fashionable. Plus a lot of this stuff is for performing on stage." Lunamo answered.

"I know you're in here." Adam's voice rang through the room. Dorumon and Lunamon huddled together in fear. They kept quiet and tried to stop shaking as they heard Adam search the room. They heard Adam's father call for him and he ran out of the room. The two digimon sighed when he left the room.

"We need to get out of here." Dorumon said.

"We need permission from Celena's parents, but then we can." Lunamon answered. The two digimon snuck downstairs and managed to avoid Adam. They quietly snuck into the kitchen and Lunamon floated quietly over to Celena's mother.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Kurosaki?" Lunamon asked in a whisper.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Can Dorumon and I go outside? I want to show him the area." Lunamon asked.

"Sure. Just be careful." Mrs. Kurosaki answered.

Lunamon and Dorumon left the house and Lunamon lead Dorumon away. "So where are you taking me?" he asked.

"The park. You know, where we fought Saberdramon yesterday." Lunamon answered. She continued to float and Dorumon followed behind. They made their way down the road and walked across the street. Dorumon looked around with wide and excited eyes.

"You don't get to the human world often, do you?" Lunamon asked.

"Not really." Dorumon answered. They made their way into the park and walked by the area they fought Saberdramon without so much as a second glance. Lunamon turned off of the path and walked past some of the trees. She continued to float and stopped when they got to a large field of flowers.

"I really like this place." Lunamon said with a content smile. She floated over and landed in a circle of grass that was surrounded by flowers. Dorumon walked over and lied down in the middle of the flowers.

"I like this place too. It's much better than being chased by Adam. He's a little psychopath. I really feel sorry for any digimon that is stuck as his partner." Dorumon said with a smile.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my sister." An annoying voice said.

"Hi Coronamon." Lunamon said lackluster without looking at him.

"Sister? You guys are related?" Dorumon asked.

"Yeah, we're brother and sister. But she decided to play pet with the humans and I did the smart thing and stayed out here." Coronamon said with a smirk. "Stupid of her, huh?"

"Nope. You're the stupid one if you ask me." Dorumon said. "Humans are great. Just look at Otouto and Celena."

"Younger brother?" Coronamon asked.

"My partner Haseo is like my little bother. We look out for each other and watch each other's backs." Dorumon answered.

"Oh man, what a moron." Coronamon said as he rolled his eyes.

"Sounds to me like you're the moron, moron." Dorumon shot back. Lunamon rolled her eyes as the two boys continued arguing. She looked up when she heard a loud rumbling. A large drill suddenly came up from the ground causing the earth to shake. Lunamon gasped when a large furry digimon came out of the hole.

"Drimogimon!" she yelled.

"Hey! Are you Dorumon!?" he roared

"Oh crap." Dorumn muttered as he prepared to fight.

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Celena sat boredly in class and only half listened to the teacher drone on about the work of old dead poets. 'Why do we need to know this?' she thought. She looked over at Haseo who was one of the few students that wasn't sleeping. He seemed to be writing something down nonstop as if he was copying what the teacher was saying word for word.

The bell finally rang and Celena gathered her stuff and walked over to Haseo. He looked over the notes he had written as if he was making sure he hadn't made any mistakes. "Something wrong?" Celena asked as they walked down the halls to the gym.

"Maybe. I think it came out all right. What do you think?" he asked. He handed the notebook to Celena and she just stared at it. He hadn't been taking notes at all. He had been drawing. It looked like a perfect picture of the Saberdramon they had fought yesterday.

"It looks amazing. You should join an art class." Celena said.

"Perhaps I will." Haseo said as he closed the notebook.

"You know, we have plenty of clubs after school. We even have archery." Celena said.

This seemed to pique Haseo's interests and he looked over at Celena. "This school has archery after school?" he asked.

"Yep. I think you should join. If yesterday is anything to go by, then I would say you're a natural." Celena answered. She turned toward a door and stopped Haseo from following her. "This is the girl's locker room. The boy's locker room is over there." She directed.

"Oh, I apologize Miss Celena." Haseo said somewhat embarrassedly and went in the direction of the other locker room. A few minutes later, Haseo came out to the track in his uniform. He looked over at the girls that were coming out and spotted Celena, but decided not to walk over to her when she locked eyes with him and shook her head.

"Hey!" a voice yelled. Haseo looked over at a brown haired boy that walked over to him. "You're that new guy right?"

"Yes, that is correct." Haseo answered quietly.

"I thought so. I heard about some new guy with white hair. I saw you and figured you were that guy." The boy said. "You probably don't know anyone around here, do you?"

"No I do not. I only know Miss Celena." Haseo replied.

"Oh, Celena. I know her. She's a cute girl to have." He said with a smile.

"You misunderstand. Our relationship is nothing beyond being casual friends." Haseo said a little embarrassedly.

"Right. Nice to know she's open. By the way, my name is Masurao." He introduced.

"It is nice to meet you Masurao. My name is Haseo." He said with a small bow.

"Wow, how polite. Bowing and calling your friend 'Miss'. The girls must love that politeness." Masurao said.

"Celena seems to be embarrassed by it. She doesn't seem too open up to me, and she didn't want me to talk with her friend Sakura this morning." Hase said a little sadly.

"No wonder. Sakura can't keep her mouth shut. Celena probably just didn't want rumors to spread." Masurao said.

"That's what Celena told me." Haseo said. "Although it is reassuring to here it from someone else as well."

"Alright everyone, the boys are playing baseball and the girls are running track!" the coach yelled.

"Something wrong Haseo?" Masurao asked.

"I am not a very good sports player. I've never really played baseball." He said a little embarrassedly.

"Really? Well don't worry. You can be on my team." Masurao said. The teams were soon divided and they began playing. Haseo sat and waited patiently for his turn to bat when he suddenly felt something. He looked over towards the other field and saw a digimon run behind one of the sheds that held the sports equipment.

"Something wrong Haseo?" Masurao asked.

"Uhm, yes everything is alright. But, I think I need to grab a new glove." He said quickly. He got out of the dug out and snuck behind it to avoid anybody seeing him. However, on the track Celena spied Haseo sneaking around. She looked around and nobody was around so she ran over to him.

"Miss Celena? What are you doing here?" Haseo asked when she got to him. The two of them stood next to the shed.

"I could ask you the same thing." Celena said.

"Indeed you could. I saw a digimon sneak over there." Haseo said as he pointed.

"I see him. He looks like a big mole." Celena said.

"He is Drimogemon. An Adult level digimon that specializes in digging. Hence the drill nose." Haseo said.

"Otouto."

"Ryu-niisan?" Haseo asked when he saw Dorumon and Lunamon.

"Yeah. We were outside when Drimogemon attacked us. We fended him off and he ran away. He's a chicken at heart. Anyway, we followed him through his escape tunnel to try to stop him from hurting anybody." Lunamon explained.

"Well that's lucky." Celena said.

"Let's go." Haseo said.

"Wait a minute." Celena said. She opened the shed and snuck in. A minute later and she came out with a bow and some arrows. "I told you there was archery here." She said with a smile.

"Indeed. Thank you Miss Celena." Haseo said before taking the bow and putting the quiver over his shoulder on it's strap. The four went over to where Drimogemon was hiding. He was sniffing the ground and seemed to be searching for something.

"I smell Haseo! Where is he?" he asked.

"You know him?" Celena asked.

"No. I have never met Drimogemon before." Haseo said.

"Tear Shot!" Lunamon yelled as she attacked Drimogemon from behind. He roared in pain and shock from the cold and turned to them.

"There you are! I've been looking for you two!" Drimogemon roared. "Spiral Drill!" he roared as he charged at them with his spinning drill. Haseo and Dorumon jumped away from the attack. Haseo readied an arrow and waited for his shot.

Dorumon jumped in front of Drimogemon and yelled "Metal Shot!" as he launched a cannonball at him. The attack hit Drimogemon in the face and hit him back. He roared as he got back up.

"I'll kill you!" Drimogemon roared as he charged with his drill again. Haseo shot the arrow, but Drimogemon deflected it with his drill. He turned to Celena and Lunamon. "I'll get you two out of the way, and then finish my job." He said as he charged at them.

"Get away from them!" Haseo yelled. His fist glowed a bright white.

"Dorumon shinka, Dorugamon!" he roared as he evolved to his adult form. He was now much larger and had wide, white wings. His fur was striped black and dark purple. His claws were blood red and his white fur was a much brighter. "Let's go!" Dorugamon roared.

"Spiral Drill!' Drimogemon roared as he charged.

Dorugamon grabbed the drill and dug his legs into the ground. He held on as tightly as he could and stopped the drill from spinning. Drimogemon started freaking out when Dorugamon lifted him up. Dorugamon threw him up into the air. "Metal Bomb!" he roared as he shot a large cannon ball at him. It exploded and he turned into a digitama.

"Odd. I was under the assumption that fighting wasn't allowed in school." Haseo said with a smile.

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Later that day, Haseo and Celena were walking home from school. The digimon had used the tunnel to get back home after the fight. Celena and Haseo made it back to class just in time and managed to stay out of trpuble.

"I really enjoyed today." Haseo said. "This was actually my first day at a school."

"Really?" Celena asked.

"Yes. I have always been tutored at home. It was nice to go." Haseo said.

"I'm glad you like it. You won't feel the same way after a week of this though." Celena said.

"I would not be so sure of myself, Miss Celena. It will not be that bad with you here too." Haseo said with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

The third chapter

The third chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story except for the story idea itself.

Chapter 3:

"He was after Haseo and Dorumon?" Mr. Kurosaki asked.

"That's what Drimogemon said." Celena answered.

"When we were in the park he popped out of the ground and attacked Dorumon after asking him who he was." Lunamon said.

"The park?" he asked. "Wasn't that where you were attacked by Saberdramon the other day?"

"Yeah it was." Celena answered thoughtfully. "Do you think they are connected somehow?"

"We can't rule anything out. I knew the digimon appearance rate was increasing, but two digimon in two days in the same location? There might be something more to this." Her father replied.

"Maybe there is. Why do you think Drimogemon was after Haseo and Dorumon?" Celena asked.

"I don't know for sure. I think we should all keep an eye on everything for now." Her father replied. "Where are Haseo and Dorumon right now?"

"They're stuck playing with Adam. They're probably stuck playing a video game upstairs in his room." Lunamon answered.

"I see. How does Haseo seem? Is he alright?" M r. Kurosaki asked.

"Yeah, I think so. Nothing seems to be wrong, and I think he likes it here." Celena replied.

"Good. Just keep an eye on him too. I know he can seem a little strange, but just give him sometime and make sure he's adjusting well, okay?"

"Okay." Celena and Lunamon answered.

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The next day was a Saturday so Haseo and Celena stayed home. Adam was intent on getting the digimon to play with him and continued to pester Haseo and Dorumon.

"Please, Shiro-nichan?" he asked with a big smile.

"I am sorry Adam, but I can not play with you right now." Haseo apologized.

"Yeah. The four of us are going to search for any digimon that might be wandering around." Dorumon explained.

"No, I want you guys to stay here. Please? Can't we play for a little bit? I want you to show me how that bow works." Adam begged.

"You grab an arrow, pull back the string, and let go. It's that simple." Celena said as she and Lunamon came down the stairs. Celena was holding a neatly folded black something. Haseo couldn't quite tell what it was, but he did know it was something to wear. "We have to go."

"Can I come with you guys?" Adam asked excitedly.

"No. It is far too dangerous to accompany us." Haseo replied.

"Exactly." Celena agreed before turning to Haseo. "I found this upstairs. Carrying weapons isn't exactly normal, but since you won't leave it here I figured you could wear this jacket over it." Celena said as she unfolded the jacket. It was thin and was long. Haseo put it on and the bottom of it was around his knees. It covered the bow and quiver perfectly, but it would also be easy to grab the weapons if he needed to.

"Thank you Miss Celena." Haseo said with a somewhat surprised voice. "But, isn't carrying a concealed weapon of any form illegal?"

"Look you can either wear the jacket and look cool if a little emo, don't wear it and look like a weirdo carrying around that bow and quiver, or you can leave the bow and quiver here. It's your choice." Celena said. "And I think carrying a weapon is illegal if you're a minor anyway."

"I suppose I shall keep the jacket. Thank you Miss Celena." Haseo said.

"What does emo mean?" Dorumon asked.

"I do not know." Haseo answered. The two of them looked at Celena for answers.

"Um, well it means, uh heh heh, you're probably better off not knowing." Celena said a little nervously.

"Um, so I can go right?" Adam asked.

"No." both of the older kids said at the same time.

"But I want to go! Please? I promise to stay out of trouble! Please? I just want to see some of the digimon you see. Please? Maybe one will want to be my partner. Please?" Adam asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry Adam, but no means no. It's way too dangerous. If we find a digimon, he might attack you." Celena said.

"But you guys are going!" Adam yelled.

"Because we have partners!" Celena yelled back.

"So! You can't fight on your own! You have to depend on Haseo and the digimon just like I would have to!" Adam yelled.

"I said no!" Celena yelled. "And that is final!" Adam glared at her before turning around and stomping up the stairs. Haseo watched him go up with concerned eyes. He agreed with Celena, but the yelling had seemed a little harsh. "Let's just go. We'll be back in a little bit!" she called to her parents. She dragged Haseo out of the house with a scowl on her face.

"Are you alright Miss Celena?" Haseo asked as they were walking down the sidewalk.

"First, stop calling me Miss. It's starting to get on my nerves. Second, I'm frustrated. Adam is such a little snot some times." Celena replied with the same scowl on her face.

"Well, I do agree that he was acting rather immaturely, but perhaps the yelling was a little too much? Adam looks up to you." Haseo said.

"Trust me, no he doesn't. He looks up to you Haseo. He just thinks of me as, well I don't honestly know what he thinks of me." Celena answered.

"He looks up to me?" Haseo asked surprised.

"Yeah, haven't you noticed Otouto? He's around us all the time." Dorumon said. "I agree with Celena. He's annoying."

"Come on Celena, that's not entirely true. Adam definitely looks up to you." Lunamon consoled.

"No he doesn't. Remember what he said when he saw you Haseo? He said I'm not cool enough to have a guy like you for a boyfriend. He was surprised we were even hanging out." Celena said defeated.

"Perhaps we should talk of something other than our relationship with your brother." Haseo suggested.

"Yeah. Good idea." Celena said.

"So, where should we search first?" Lunamon asked.

"Probably that park. After all, the two digimon sightings were both there." Dorumon suggested.

"Exactly. My dad and I think there might be a connection between the park and the digimon. We just don't know for sure, or what the connection is." Celena said.

"Well, at least it is a lead." Haseo said as they headed for the park.

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"Hey Mom! I'm going outside with Jasper!" Adam called.

"Alright, but be back by five!" she yelled back.

Adam went outside and greeted his friend Jasper and Lockheed. Lockheed was a Dracomon who was Jasper's digimon partner. Jasper was a dark haired Brazilian boy with green eyes. Adam sighed and hung his head a little lower. More and more digimon were coming to the human world. His sister had one, his friend had one, Haseo had one. Everyone around him had a partner, except him! It was so unfair.

"Hi Adam." Jasper greeted back. "Is something wrong?"

"Yuppers! He's sad!" Lockheed said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Jasper asked.

"A lot." Adam replied.

"Um, okay?" Jasper said. "Can you tell me more?"

"My sister is mean, everyone thinks I'm annoying, and a lot of people I know have a digimon except for me." Adam replied as he glared at the ground in front of him. He let out a depressed sigh and started walking towards Jasper's house.

"Well what happened? Why do you think your sister is mean?" Jasper asked.

"Because she and Haseo and their partners are searching for digimon that might be out to hurt people and she wouldn't let me come with. She said it's too dangerous." Adam said.

"Yuppers! Celena is right. A lot of digimon out there are dangerous." Lockheed said.

"It does sound like your sister has a point." Jasper said.

"You're only saying that because you think my sister is cute." Adam grumbled.

"I do not! Wait a minute, who's' Haseo?" Jasper asked.

"This really cool guy that's going to be living with use. He's here to help with the digimon or something. He's really cool and his partner, Dorumon, is like a furry dragon." Adam explained. "He can fight other digimon with a bow and arrows."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Lockheed asked.

"Yeah, but not for him. He's like a ninja, or that guy on Bleach." Adam said. "And he's really polite too. He never yells at me like Celena does. I wish he was my brother instead of Celena being my sister."

"Don't say that! Your sister is great!" Jasper yelled.

"I'll trade you siblings. I'll give you Celena if you give me Rai." Adam said.

"I would, but I don't think our parents would let us. It would be cool if we could though." Jasper said with a smile.

"Yuppers! You do have a crush on Celena!" Lockheed shouted enthusiastically.

"I do not!" Jasper yelled.

"Yes you do." Lockheed and Adam said simultaneously.

"Oh shut up! I don't want to go to my house. Let's go to the park instead." Jasper said.

"OK." Adam replied with a shrug.

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"Maybe I was wrong." Dorumon said. The group had been searching the park all day. Although, Haseo was the only one who seemed to take the job seriously. Everyone else was goofing off and laughing.

"I think so. And it's getting a little late for this 'searching' thing. I feel kind of bad though." Celena said.

"Do you mean because you yelled at Adam about the dangers of our mission and nothing dangerous has happened to us?" Haseo asked.

"I wouldn't have put it so bluntly, but yeah kind of." Celena replied.

"I do not believe that I was blunt. I merely guessed at what you meant based on what you had said previously." Haseo said. "I apologize if the truth was hard to hear, but I merely guessed according to the information I gathered."

"Oh shut up." Celena said, although she didn't really mean it.

"Aw, how sweet." A voice said. The group turned to see a small lion like red digimon.

"It appears an enemy has found us." Haseo said.

"Nope. That's just Coronamon. He's Lunamon's brother." Celena answered.

"I met him yesterday. He's an idiot." Dorumon said with a bored tone.

"That is rude Ryu-nisan." Haseo said in his scolding, yet not scolding voice.

"Yeah well, this guy deserves it." Dorumon replied.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here!" Coronamon yelled angrily. "I can hear everything you're saying!"

"I know." Dorumon said with a smile.

"That's it! Take this! Corona Blaster!" Coronamon yelled as he threw a fireball at Dorumon. Dorumopn shot a cannonball from his mouth and it blew through the fireball. Coronamon ducked the attack and jumped over to Dorumon. "Corona Fist!" he yelled as he hit Dorumon with a flaming fist.

"Stop it Coronamon!" Lunamon yelled.

"Haseo, stop your brother!" Celena yelled.

"This is not my fight. If Ryu-nisan wishes to fight, then he is welcome to if Coronamon also wishes to." Haseo replied as he watched the fight. "You should not worry. Ryu-nisan can handle himself."

Dorumon ducked and maneuvered away from Coronamon's punches with ease. "Metal Claw!" he yelled as he slashed Coronamon and hit him back. "You can't do a thing to me. I'm out of your league."

"Shut up!" Coronamon yelled.

"Wow! Did you see that!?" a familiarly annoying voice yelled.

"What are you doing here Adam!?" Celena yelled.

"Jasper, Lockheed, and I wanted to go to the park." Adam answered. He turned to Dorumon and began yelling, "That was amazing! One punch and he was down for the count! I told you guys Dorumon was cool!"

"Yuppers! That was a good shot!" Lockheed yelled.

"No kidding." Jasper agreed. The three of them ran over and surrounded Dorumon and continued to praise him. Dorumon ran towards Haseo, but the three of them followed.

"It looks like you guys have a fan club." Celena said with a smirk. "Haseo, meet Jasper and Lockheed."

"It is nice to meet you, Jasper and Lockheed. My name is Haseo and this is Dorumon." Haseo introduced with a bow.

"Is that white hair natural or did you bleach it?" Lockheed asked.

"It is my natural hair color." Haseo answered.

"More like natural lack of color." Dorumon said.

"One hit and they think I'm out. I can't believe them. I won't be upstaged by that furry freak." Coronamon grumbled to himself. He dropped to his knees and grabbed his chest. It felt like his heart was about to explode. He bent over and began coughing violently.

"Are you alright?" Lunamon asked. By now everyone else was looking at Coronamon.

"You, I won't let you beat me." Coronamon said through gritted teeth. A dark fire surrounded him and he roared in pain. The fire consumed him entirely and grew much larger. When the fire died down, Coronamon was no longer there. In his place was a large lion made entirely of blue flames. "DarkLynxmon!" he roared.

"Wow!" Adam yelled in amazement.

"Oh crap." Celena muttered.

"Oh no! What happened to my brother!?" Lunamon shouted.

"He Dark Digivolved." Haseo answered grimly.

"I'll rip you all apart!" DarkLynxmon roared. He charged at Dorumon and rammed into him. Dorumon was hit back and rolled across the ground and struggled to get back up. Haseo pulled out his bow and fired an arrow at DarkLynxmon. DarkLynxmon roared and surrounded himself in flames. The arrow burned up before it even reached the monster.

"I knew I should have started using the metal ones." Haseo muttered to himself. Dorumon stood back up and charged. "Wait Ryu-nisan! You can not beat him with brute force alone!" Haseo yelled, but DarkLynxmon hit Dorumon away before Dorumon could take the advice.

"Dark Blaze!" Lynxmon roared as he launched a dark fireball at Haseo. Haseo jumped away but the explosion hit him back and he landed on the ground. He struggled to get up but he was hit away by the charging Lynxmon and was knocked out before he hit the ground.

"We have to help Lunamon!" Celena yelled urgently.

"But he's my brother." Lunamon said worriedly.

DarkLynxmon turned and headed for Lockheed, Jasper, and Adam. Lockheed charged but was hit away quickly. DarkLynxmon sent another fireball at the three of them.

"No!" Celena and Lunamon cried. Lunamon jumped in front of the fireball and took the hit. She was slammed back and hit the ground rolling. Celena ran over to her partner and felt tears come to her eyes when she saw the burns on her partner.

"Don't worry. I'm OK." Lunamon said weakly.

"Don't talk." Celena said worriedly. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." She stood up and moved her arms out in a vain attempt to shield everyone. She glared at DarkLynxmon who roared at her in return. "I won't let you hurt them!" she shouted. She clenched her fist and a light blue energy surrounded her fist.

"Lunamon shinka, Lekismon!" she cried. Lunamon changed into a large pink rabbit digimon with four purple cords coming from her back. A metal mask covered her face and she had black gloves on. "Bring it on brother!" she yelled.

"Dark Blaze!" he roared as he launched a fireball at Lekismon.

"Moon Night Bomb!" Lekismon cried as she formed a glittering sphere of ice in her hands. She launched the ball at the oncoming attack and the two attacks collided and caused an explosion. DarkLynxmon charged at Lekismon but she jumped up and flipped forward and planted her feet on Dark Lynxmon.

"Moon Night Kick!" she yelled as she kicked off and sent the flaming cat flying backwards. Lekismon formed her own purple bow in her hand and pulled the string back. An arrow of ice formed and she cried "Tear Arrow!" and launched the arrow at DarkLynxmon.

The arrow stuck into DarkLynxmon's chest and he roared in pain. Ice slowly spread over the wound until he was a statue of ice. The ice suddenly shattered and Coronamon fell down unconscious.

Celena let out a sigh of relief, but then ran over to Haseo and Dorumon and Lekismon ran over to Coronamon. The three of them were okay, as was Lockheed. Lekismon picked the four of them up and managed to carry them home.

"What's going on?" her mother asked when she saw Lekismon carrying everyone.

"Long story short, we need help." Celena replied. Er father came in and immediately began to take action. Haseo, Dorumon, Lockheed, and Coronamon were all placed on futons in the living room and her father began to examine their wounds.

"I'm sorry Celena." Adam apologized. "I shouldn't have come. To be honest, I kind of pressured Jasper and Lockheed to come to that part of the park. I figured that if a digimon appeared, it would be there."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. I only wanted to make sure you weren't hurt." Celena said. She pulled Adam into a hug. "I know you feel left out, but I'm sure you'll have a partner soon."

"I hope I can work with him as well as you can with Lunamon." Adam said.

"Nah, you'll be better." Celena said with a proud smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Not so Sweet Dreams

Sorry people, but there's not going to be a fight in this one. However, it does introduce more of the team.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the concept of this story.

Chapter 4: Not so Sweet Dreams

An eight-year-old Haseo began to cry as he watched the large dragon fly off. What had happened to his brother? Why was he doing this? He curled up when he heard screaming coming from the direction his brother had flown and began crying even harder. "I want my brother back." He sobbed to himself.

Boss, as everyone called him, stood up and dusted his suit off. He looked around at the wreckage of his mansion. He had never dreamed something like this would happen. How did those three get in? How did those three find the way to his home? It had taken a lot of his energy to fend all three of them off at once, and then Dorumon had gone crazy.

He looked over at the curled up boy and walked over to him. "What did I do?" Haseo asked sadly. "What happened to Ryu-nisan?"

"You let your anger get the better of you." Boss answered. "You didn't want to help me fight, you wanted to hurt them. You lost yourself to the darkness, and so did Dorumon." Boss answered.

"But I didn't want this. I just, I just wanted to help. They were attacking everyone and, and, and it was so horrible. I wanted them to stop it. I wanted them to know what they were doing to my friends. They had to be stopped. They had to be hurt." Haseo sobbed and stuttered. "But I, I didn't want this to happen."

"I have told you before Haseo, that you must control your anger. You and Dorumon are more connected then most partner teams are. If you let the darkness in your heart take over, than it will be your brother that gets hurt from it." Boss said. He walked past Haseo, but he grabbed his pant leg.

"Please. Please help Ryu-nisan!" Haseo sobbed.

"I will try to. But I can't guarantee I will be able to save him." Boss replied grimly. Haseo let go and began to cry again. "If I have to, I will kill him." GranDracmon said grimly as he walked towards the fire that had began in the woods.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Haseo sobbed over and over to himself.

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Celena looked concernedly at everyone. Lockheed had woken up and wasn't too hurt, but he did have a big burn on his tail. Dorumon was sleeping, but had woken up previously. He seemed to have hurt his arm and some of his fur was singed. It would have looked funny had Celena not seen DrakLynxmon actually do it to Dorumon.

Lunamon had a few bandages wrapped around her arms or on her face. She seemed to be okay but Celena was still worried. Haseo was still asleep. Her father was currently wrapping bandages around his stomach and his upper right arm was also wrapped up.

Celena looked at him with concern. She noticed what looked like a tattoo on his chest over his heart. It was a black X. It wasn't too extravagant, but it was perfectly angled right over his heart.

Coronamon seemed to be unhurt and was sleeping soundly. He was just exhausted from what had happened to him. Celena's father wiped sweat from his forehead when he finished bandaging Haseo. "There, now everyone is taken care of." He said.

"I'm sure glad that you're a doctor dad." Adam said.

"Is Lockheed going to be okay?" Jasper asked as he looked at Lockheed's bandaged tail with a concerned look.

"He'll be fine, no need to worry. The burn isn't that bad." Mr. Kurosaki answered. "The same for Lunamon, is just looks bad because she has a lot of small burns. Dorumon should be fine as long as he doesn't use that arm to much."

"Yuppers! We're fine Jasper, don't worry." Lockheed said.

"Exactly." Lunamon agreed.

"What about Haseo?" Celena asked.

"He needs to rest for a while. His arm is burned and one of his ribs is bruised. He should stay in bed for a few days. Or at least limit his physical activities. The injuries aren't too bad, but he should be careful when he wakes up." Her father answered.

Celena looked over at Haseo with concerned eyes. Haseo looked even paler then usual and started muttering something in his sleep. "I'm sorry." He muttered. His hands clenched the sheets and he started to toss and turn. Her father tried to hold Haseo still so he didn't hurt himself, but Haseo was struggling.

Celena put a hand on his shoulder and started singing lightly. Haseo slowly stopped struggling and remained calm. He opened his eyes and looked at Celena. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. "I'm sorry." He muttered.

"For what?" Celena asked.

"It's my fault." He muttered. His eyes were empty and tears continued to roll down his face. Celena began to sing again and Haseo closed his eyes. She gently stroked his hair off of his face. Slowly Haseo started to fall into a peaceful sleep.

"What did he mean he's sorry? What did he do?" Adam asked.

"It's not my place to say." His father replied.

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Haseo opened his eyes and looked around. It was too dark to see so he waited for his eyes to adjust. Once they did he realized he was in the living room of Celena's house. Dorumon was snoring gently in a futon next to him. He tried to sit up, but winced when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He moved an arm to it and felt bandages around him.

'What has happened to us?' he thought disoriented. 'We were battling against a digimon. It dark digivolved, and it knocked out Ryu-nisan and me. I do hope everyone else was not harmed after we lost consciousness. I suppose someone survived and took us here. And then, I woke up did I not? Yes, from my horrific dream.'

Haseo lay back and sighed. He looked over at his brother and muttered, "I'm sorry."

"That's okay Otouto." Dorumon said. Haseo's eyes grew wide from surprise when he heard his brother reply. Dorumon turned over and looked at his brother. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, I am not injured." Haseo replied but winced when he shifted slightly. "Or rather, I believe I am not injured too severely."

"Neither am I. My arm hurts and some of my hair was singed but I should be back at 100 in no time. There's no need to worry about me." Dorumon said with a confident smirk.

"Good." Haseo said. "I am glad you are not injured Ryu-nisan."

"So, what are you sorry about?" Dorumon asked. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Yes, it was after the Boss fought off those intruders. I had thought he had died, and I just felt so angry, and…" Haseo trailed off as he stared at the ceiling.

"Otouto that wasn't your fault." Dorumon said sternly.

"Yes it was." Haseo replied sadly. "I promise to never force you to fight again."

"I promise too. I won't force you to fight if you don't want to." Dorumon said before falling back to sleep. Haseo continued to stare at the ceiling in the dark. He was afraid to fall asleep in that dark place. He didn't want the nightmares to return. He hated those horrid dreams that haunted him. Everything he had done haunted him in the dark that he used to find so comforting.

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"Hey Dad, can Sakura come in?" Celena asked.

"Sure." He replied. "Just be quiet if Haseo is asleep." He replied.

"He's not, he's in the living room, resting and watching TV and I think he's drawing in that sketch pad of his. He seems to be doing alright." Celena said. Coronamon had awoken in the morning and quickly left. He didn't seem to remember anything about dark digivolving but did at least apologize for anything he had done.

"Come on in Sakura." Celena said at the door. Sakura walked in and followed Celena to the main room. She stared at Haseo who was sitting up against the sofa with covers covering most of him. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black pajama bottoms and his face didn't look as pale as it did the day before.

"Hello Miss Sakura." He greeted with a weak smile.

"What are you doing here and what happened?" Sakura asked. "You don't look too good."

"Haseo is staying here. Remember? I told you on Friday." Celena answered.

"Oh yeah." Sakura said thoughtfully. "So why are you still in bed?"

"He got hurt yesterday. He, uh, tripped down the stairs." Celena said. She didn't want Sakura to know about the digimon attacks. Sakura had a habit of freaking out when there was even a hint of something dangerous. Telling her best friend that she was fighting against bad digimon didn't seem like a good idea.

"Hi Sakura." Lunamon greeted as she floated into the room.

"Lunamon! Oh you are so cute!" Sakura yelled as she pulled Lunamon into a hug. Dorumon walked down the stairs and Sakura stared at him. His injured arm was in a sling, but he could remove it the next day. Sakura squealed like a fangirl and hugged Dorumon.

"Otouto help. I can't breathe." Dorumon gasped out as the air was forced from his lungs.

"That's enough Sakura! You're going to kill him!" Celena yelled as she pulled Sakura off of Dorumon. Dorumon gasped when he was let go and held his arm as pain shot up it. He let go of it and pointed at Sakura, but didn't say anything as he tried to catch his breath.

"Heh, sorry but I'm a sucker for cute digimon." Sakura said with a smile.

"Hi Sakura!" Adam yelled as he slid down the staircase handle.

"Hey Adam." Sakura replied. "Actually, we can only stay here for a little bit."

"What do you mean we?" Celena asked.

"Band practice!" Sakura yelled. "The show is in five days and if we aren't ready then the other bands will kick our asses! We said we would practice every day before the show!"

"Oh right! Sorry, it's just a lot has been going on lately, you know?" Celena said.

"You two are performing at a show?" Haseo asked.

"We sure are!" Sakura said. "Celena, Raimundo, Loaño, and I are in a band. There's a contest on Friday so we are going to practice as hard as we can! If we win, then we get a record deal!"

"How exciting." Haseo said with a polite smile. Sakura continued to talk about the concert, but to Celena it seemed as if Haseo didn't understand a word of what she was saying.

"Hey Haseo, are you feeling good enough to go somewhere?" Celena suddenly asked.

"Hm? Well I suppose so, but you should ask your father to confirm." Haseo said. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought it would be nice if you came with. Raimundo's house is only a few minutes from here so it shouldn't be too much of a strain on you to walk there." Celena suggested. She then went to ask her father if it was alright for Haseo to take the short walk there.

"So what really happened to you? I can tell when Celena is lying, and she totally is." Sakura said.

"I was injured in a fight against a bad digimon." Haseo answered. "There is no reason to worry though. The injuries are not serious and I should be fine soon." He added when he saw the look on Sakura's face.

"You should be more careful! You could have been seriously hurt!" Sakura scolded. "Honestly, are you insane? You should of just run like hell. Being around an bad digimon is not a good idea.

"I know it is not a wise idea for a normal person, but I can handle myself." Haseo said a little defensively.

"Yeah! And besides, this is the first time he's been hurt in a while. Normally he is careful." Dorumon added.

"I guess, just be careful." Sakura said.

"Are you good to go?" Celena asked when she came back into the room.

"Yes, I suppose. Just let me go get ready." Haseo answered. Dorumon helped him up and into his room.

"Can I come to?" Adam asked.

"Oh please say no." Dorumon grumbled after closing the door for Haseo.

"If Mom and Dad say you can, then sure." Celena answered.

"Awesome!" Adam yelled.

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Celena knocked on the door to her friend Raimundo's house. Raimundo was a Brazilian boy with dark brown hair and Jasper's older brother. He also had a digimon partner and had a habit of slipping into Spanish on accident when he was angry or upset.

Rai answered the door and rolled his eyes. "It's about time you guys got here." He said. "Loaño is waiting inside. Who are you two?" he asked as he pointed at Haseo and Dorumon.

"This is Haseo and Dorumon. They're living at my house for a while." Celena answered. "We figured we could bring them over to listen to us practice."

"It's alright I guess." Rai said with a shrug. He led the small group into the house and through a door into the garage. Rai's family never used the garage so he turned it into the band room. It was the only place big enough in the house, and it was almost sound proof. Adam parted with the group and ran upstairs to Jasper's and Lockheed's room.

A drum set was positioned in the middle of the garage. Sitting on the stool of it was a red bird digimon with a white head. Leaning against the wall was another blonde girl who had silver eyes and next to her was a large wolf-like human digimon. He wore ripped jeans and had white bandages wrapped around his wrists and brass knuckles on his hands. They both carried a sense of confidence, but the girl seemed a little strange to Haseo.

"Hawkmon, KiddGarrurumon, and Loaño this is um, what's your name again?" Rai asked.

"My name is Haseo." He introduced with a small bow, but winced when he did. "And this is my partner Dorumon." He said with a slightly pained voice.

"You okay?" Loaño asked.

"I was hurt by a digimon yesterday." Haseo answered with a slight grimace. He walked over and sat in an extra chair. "I'm just here to observe and listen." He said as he looked at the electric guitars, amps, and other equipment with interest. Celena handed Loaño her guitar. Loaño's had previously been broken by Kidd on accident so Celena let her borrow her's.

Celena stepped up to the microphone, Loaño was to her right with the guitar, Rai sat at the drums, and Sakura stepped up to an electric keyboard. Kidd, Lunamon, and Hawkmon went over and sat next to Haseo and Dorumon. "This is so boring." Kidd grumbled.

The band began to start playing their song. 'They are good.' Haseo thought. 'They will do well in this contest of theirs.' He smiled when he saw Dorumon, Hawkmon, and Lunamon dancing to the song. Although Dorumon was having a little trouble with his arm and he would curse every time it would move in a painful way. He let out a relaxed sigh as he listened to the band play and Celena sing.

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"It has been a while since we were all together." A figure said as he sat down at a table.

"I'll say! I haven't seen your ugly mugs since the last time we tried to bring down our old 'friend'" a sneering figure said from across the table.

"That is enough of our catching up. We need to organize our plan so that we are victorious." The figure at the head of the table said. "How have the attacks gone so far?"

"The first two digimon we sent failed. However, is appears another digimon stumbled upon what we are looking for on accident." The first figure said.

"What was the reaction?" an older figure asked with interest. He stroked his beard thoughtfully when the other figure responded, "He dark digivolved."

"So then it's definitely there?" a women's voice asked. "How delightful."

"Well then let's send in some else." The Leader said. "Any suggestions?"

"Yeah, I have a good idea." The figure from across the first said with a sneer. "We'll get what we want and get rid of those two brats at the same time!"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story concept.

Chapter 5: Konoha no Shinobi

The band continued practicing for a while, but then decided to take a break. The large group was currently sitting in the large living room and chatting about things that had been happening recently.

"So, you guys got hurt by a digimon, right?" Rai asked.

"That is correct." Haseo replied.

"And you said that more have been appearing recently too. All in the park, right?" Sakura asked.

"That's right." Celena answered.

"Are the digimon and the park related somehow?" Loaño asked.

"It's possible." Lunamon said.

"Normally a digimon can't digivolve without a human. Even dark digivolving is out of the question. So how did Coronamon?" Hawkmon asked. The group thought on this for a few minutes.

"No idea man." Kidd finally answered for the group.

"So what did these guys look like?" Rai asked. Haseo grabbed his sketchpad and opened it to a page. He showed everyone the picture of Saberdramon, Drimogemon, and DarkLynxmon.

"The last one was Coronamon." Dorumon said. "He's the one that did this to us when he became DarkLynxmon."

"I believe it is safe to assume that the park is related to our situation. Although, I do not know how." Haseo said.

"Maybe we should go search the park. I mean they could be looking for something." Sakura suggested.

"It's possible, but not the only possibility." Lunamon said.

"Drimogemon, the big mole guy, was after Haseo and Dorumon." Celena said.

"Why? Did you cheat on a drug deal or something?" Loaño asked with a smile.

"No. We do not know why he attacked us." Haseo answered.

"Ok, this I getting us nowhere. All we're doing is going around in circles. We have reason to believe the park and digimon are connected, right?" Celena asked.

"Right." Lunamon said.

"We also now that Coronamon dark digivolved without a human partner at said park, right?" Celena asked.

"Correct." Haseo said.

"What's the difference between digivolving and dark digivolving?" Sakura asked.

"Digivolution is a process in which the digimon grows stronger and alters it's appearance. It normally does this by drawing from a humans feelings and emotions, which manifests itself as digisoul." Haseo explained. He lifted his hand and focused his energy. His hand began glowing with his white digisoul.

"Wow." Sakura said. "So, dark digivolving is when it grows off of negative feelings, right?"

"Yes. The digimon becomes corrupted. It blindly attacks anyone and anything it sees." Haseo replied with a sad look. His digisoul faded and he put his hand down.

"Alright, so something is going on at that park, and someone wants Haseo and Dorumon dead. We just don't know what is at the park, who is after them, and if the two are connected." Loaño summarized.

"In a nutshell, yes." Hawkmon said.

"Well let's investigate the park." Sakura said.

"That does sound like the thing to do, but there are a few problems. One, you and Adam don't have a partner." Rai pointed out. Sakura frowned and hung her head down in anime-style shame. "Second, Haseo and Dorumon are still hurt so they couldn't help us anyway." Haseo and Dorumon also hung their heads down. "Third, I don't want my little brother wrapped up in this unless we really need his help." Rai finished.

"So that means we only have a team of three. Lunamon can reach adult level, and Kidd already is, what about Hawkmon?" Celena asked.

"We haven't had much experience fighting." Hawkmon answered.

"I don't even know how to do that digisoul thing." Rai added as he and Hawkmon hung their heads down in shame.

"Neither can I." Loaño added as she hung her head down.

"We've only been fighting one digimon at a time for now, but they could start appearing in groups if there really is something bigger to this." Lunamon said. "It's unsafe for us to try to find anything out for now."

By now, everyone was feeling depressed about something for there own reasons. Nobody felt like continuing the conversation if there was nothing they could do about the situation. The group was stuck at a stand still and they knew it. "I guess we're going to go." Celena said as she stood up with a sigh. "Can Adam stay here if he wants to?"

"I guess. I don't see why not." Rai said. Celena nodded and helped Haseo get up. The four of them left the house after Celena grabbed her guitar from the band room. They walked home in silence.

"I should not have been so careless." Haseo said apologetically.

"You mean yesterday? Don't be silly Haseo. It's not your fault that you got hurt and it's not your fault that we can't go search for some answers." Celena assured him.

"She's right. It's my fault for fighting Coronamon. I dragged everyone into that." Dorumon said with a sad look at his arm. Celena looked at the two boys and sighed. She put an arm around both of them.

"Neither of you are too blame." She said.

"Thank you, Celena." Haseo said. "But that hurts."

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Sakura left Rai and Jasper's house a few minutes after Celena's group did. She walked down the streets with the conversation weighing heavily on her mind. A lot was going on and none of it seemed good. More digimon were popping up everywhere. Her new friends had been hurt. And she couldn't do anything about it.

She looked over as she walked by the park. This place seemed to be the center of everything that was happening. It used to be a pleasant place to relax and play. But now, it seemed frightening. It seemed like a bad place to be. The flowers no longer moved daintily in the wind, but seemed to dance madly and almost sinisterly.

She sighed as she stopped and looked at the area. It was hard to hear that this place was bad to be in. It was always her favorite place to be when she was down. But now, just looking at it made her feel down. All of the fun times she had in the park were forgotten as she looked sadly at the trees and flowers.

The breeze picked up and her hair flew over into her face. She moved it out of her eyes and suddenly felt like crying. This had been the place where she had met her friends. But now, she felt like she would only find enemies within the flower gardens and soft grass. She let a sad smile onto her face as she remembered meeting her best friend.

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"Are you okay?" a young boy asked.

Sakura looked up from the ground at the boy in front of her. She was sitting alone on the swing. Her friends had all made fun of her and she had run away crying. She didn't even know why she hung out with those girls. They were always mean to her and made fun of her.

"No." she murmured.

"Why?" he asked.

"My friends made fun of me. They always do." Sakura answered.

"Those don't sound like friends." The boy asked. "Or maybe I misunderstood. Friends means amigos, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sakura replied unsurely as she looked at the Brazilian boy in front of her. "Who are you?"

"Raimundo, but I prefer Rai." He said. "I just moved to this country last week. I've been trying to learn the language for a month, but it's a little hard. You can understand what I'm saying, right?"

"Yeah, for the most part." Sakura replied. "My name is Sakura. It's nice to meet you, Rai."

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Sakura let out a scream when she felt something wrap around her leg. She was pulled down to the ground and pulled into the park. She fought against the vine that held her, but it was useless. It had her, and there was nothing she could do about it.

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"Bye Jasper!" Adam called from the door.

"Bye!" Jasper and Lockheed called back.

"Looks like everyone's gone." Hawkmon said.

"Yep." Rai agreed. He let out a sigh. "Things sure are starting to get interesting."

"You mean the digimon?" Hawkmon asked.

Rai looked at him blankly. "No, I mean the flying cows." he said sarcastically.

"What flying cows?" Lockheed asked.

"I was being sarcastic." Rai said. He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket when he felt it vibrate. The screen read 'Sakura' and he answered it. "Hola Sakura."

"Hello to you too." A sinister voice replied. Rai's face grew pale when he heard the voice. "I have your friend Sakura. I want you and your little birdie to come to the park alone. I don't want to see your friends, got it?" the sinister voice asked.

"What have you done wither her!?" Rai yelled.

"Nothing, yet! But if you don't get here in fifteen minutes, then I'll have to mess up her pretty face. Remember, I just want to see you two." The voice said before hanging up. Rai jumped up and grabbed Hawkmon by his wing. He pulled him out of the house and sped down the sidewalk as fast as his legs could carry him.

"What on earth is going on Rai!?" Hawkmon asked as he was pulled along by his friend.

"Someone kidnapped Sakura!" Rai yelled in distress as he continued to run.

"What? Why would anybody kidnap Sakura?" Hawkmon asked.

"I don't know, but they said to come to the park alone so it's probably a digimon." Rai answered. He skidded to a halt when he got in front of the park. He looked through it from the entrance to see if there were any signs of Sakura or her kidnapper.

"Rai look!" Hawkmon said. Hawkmon was looking down on the ground examining something. "They're drag marks." He said. "And they're fresh. I think she was taken this way!"

"Let's go then!" Rai said as he and Hawkmon ran forward. The followed the trail as fast as Rai's legs and Hawkmon's wings could carry them. They stopped however when they saw what had happened to part of the park. All of the trees had been bent forward, or just plain sprung up from the ground to create a large dome.

"Wow." They both said with dropped jaws.

"The trail leads into that thing." Hawkmon said after regaining his composure.

"Let's go then, but be careful." Rai cautioned. They stepped towards the dome and walked through the entrance. The bent trees blocked out most of the sun and gave the area a dark and sinister look. Shadows seemed to move and the trees seemed to be reaching out for them.

"I don't like this place." Hawkmon said fearfully.

"You don't like our little arena?" a voice asked.

"But we had our friend make it just for you, and your friends." Another voice said.

"Where are you guys!? What have you done with Sakura!?" Rai yelled into the darkness. All he got in return was sinister laughter from the two voices. Rai looked around but couldn't find the source of the voices.

"It's time to start,"

"Our little game." The other voice finished. Hawkmon yelled in surprise when he felt something cut his face. He jumped back and cried "Feather shot!" as he threw several feathers in random directions.

"Are you starting to get scared?"

"How wonderful. It's fun to fight someone when,"

"They are scared."

"Come out and fight like a man!" Rai yelled in frustration.

"No,"

"Thanks." Rai gasped when he felt something cut his arm. Hawkmon yelled when he felt someone poke his back. He jumped around and threw feathers without realizing that he was right in front of Rai. Rai jumped away, but some of them hit his arm.

"Watch where you're aiming!" Rai yelled as he felt the stinging pain in his arm. He pulled the feathers out and winced when he saw small bits of blood on his arm.

"It is so amusing,"

"To hear friends quarrel."

"Shut up!" Rai yelled.

"That's enough of your game! Let us out!" Hawkmon yelled with a hint of desperation and fear in his voice. The two voices laughed again before Hawkmon felt more slices on his arms. He gasped in pain and fell down to his hands and knees.

"Hawkmon!" Rai yelled. "Are you alright amigo?" he asked as he rushed to his friends side.

"I'm fine." Hawkmon said as he stood back up. "But we have to get out of here. We need to call for help."

"You're right." Rai said as he took out his cell phone. He gasped in shock when he felt it hit away from him. He looked down at his hand and saw a cut across it. "Oh no, they hit it away!"

"Well find it!" Hawkmon yelled.

"What do you think I'm trying to do!?" Rai yelled. He gritted his teeth when he felt a few blades cut is arm. "I'm getting tired of this!" he roared angrily.

"Really? We,"

"Are not."

Rai and Hawkmon both ran as hard as they could for the exit. Just as they were about to get there, trees sprouted from the ground and closed it off. Rai and Hawkmon looked in shock as the reality of their situation set in. They were trapped.

"I guess we're trapped." Rai said.

"How can you be so calm at a time like this! We don't even know who we're fighting!" Hawkmon yelled in fear and anger.

"That's true, but that also means they don't need Sakura. Let her go and we'll give up!" Rai yelled to their enemies.

"Give up? But,"

"You aren't even,"

"Fighting. Why should,"

"We take that,"

"Deal?"

"It was worth a shot." Hawkmon said.

"No way. I won't let them hurt you or Sakura. I've had enough of this!" Rai yelled as his body began glowing green. The light illuminated the area and there enemies. Two identical ninja digimon were standing on the other side of the room. One was wearing red and the other was wearing purple.

"Ninjamon and Kogamon. You two are behind this!" Hawkmon yelled.

"It's time for this game to end!" Rai yelled. "Digisoul, charge!"

"Hawkmon shinka, Shurimon!" the leaf covered ninja yelled.

"I think," Ninjamon started.

"We're in trouble." Kogamon finished.

"Double Stars!" Shurimon yelled as he threw his two shuriken at Ninjamon and Kogamon. The two jumped away at the same angles and crossed each other in the air. The threw there own storm of shuriken, but Shurimon deflected them with his larger shuriken. "Double Stars!" he cried as he threw more of his own stars at them.They jumped again.

"Now!" Rai yelled.

"Ninja Star!" Shurimon yelled as he threw his large Shuriken. It struck through both of the brothers when they crossed in the air. The shuriken sliced through them both and turned them back into digitama (digimon eggs). Shurimon reverted to Hawkmon and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't let your guard down yet." Rai said. He and Hawkmon looked across the room where an entrance to another room opened up. The two cautiously walked through the door. This room was much brighter because the trees didn't bend down. Instead they created a very wide hallway.

"I'm going to win." Sakura taunted from the end of the hallway. She was sitting at a table that looked like it had sprouted out of the ground. Across from her was a digimon with a purple mushroom head. On the table was a deck of cards and a pile of discarded cards.

"Oh crap. Not again." The mushroom replied.

"What on earth?" Hawkmon asked.

"Oh, hey guys." Sakura said before turning back to the game. "Gin." She said as she showed her hand of cards to the mushroom. The mushroom grumbled something the boys couldn't hear.

"What's going on!?" Rai yelled in confusion.

"This Mushroomon kidnapped me, but realized I wasn't the person he wanted. We sat around and talked a bit and eventually he let me go." Sakura replied.

"Who were you after?" Hawkmon asked while Rai spat out very colorful Spanish words that would make this an M-rated story.

"Some punk named Haseo and his furry friend Dorumon." Mushroomon replied. "But I messed up and Sakura helped me realize that this whole bad-guy-kidnapper thing wasn't for me." Mushroomon answered.

"We decided to become partners, like you and Hawkmon." Sakura said with a smile.

"So we fought two insane brother ninja digimon in a big huge dark creepy tree dome, for nothing!" Rai yelled.

"I guess so, if you want to put a negative spin on it." Sakura said.

"I'm going home." Rai said flatly before turning around and walking away while muttering more colorful words.


	6. Chapter 6

I haven't mentioned this yet, but the size of the digimon in their Child/Rookie form is the same as Season 5

I haven't mentioned this yet, but the size of the digimon in their Child/Rookie form is the same as Season 5.

Disclaimner: I don't own Digimon or anything else except for the story itself. I don't even own all of the characters.

Chapter 6: The Demon Lords Make Their Move

"They are always making us wait." a large digimon grumbled from a seat surrounding a large black table. He looked like a large black dragon wearing samurai armor. He had two strangely curved swords in two sheaths at his right side. If he and the woman were to stand up, he would be a head and shoulders above her.

"Oh calm down Gaiomon. You are always so impatient." A woman said from across him. She was thin and beautiful and wore a flowing yellow dress. On her back were four thin wings that hung as if they were part of the dress. Her hands had thin gloves that reached her elbows and were striped black and yellow. The bottom of her face had a mask over it that had a similar pattern, and a hair band was on her head that had two thing antennae like attachments on top.

"I don't see how you can be so patient all the time, QueenVespamon." Gaiomon grumbled back. "I hate being kept waiting."

"Yes, yes, I know. But that doesn't mean you should let your temper get the better of you." QueenVespamon said with an unseen smile.

"Well it's frustrating! The Boss called the four of us here and said it was urgent. Except he, and the two other members still aren't here!" Gaiomon yelled.

"True, but you shouldn't get so angry. The Boss has always had punctuality problems." QueenVespamon said. "And of course our other member has been having a lot of problems lately."

"Oh? Is his condition worsening?" Gaiomon asked with slight concern.

"A little bit. He won't be coming to this meeting." QueenVespamon answered.

"Damn. He's so lucky." Gaiomon grumbled. He looked up when the large double doors opened. The one who opened the door was a young looking man wearing an extravagant suit. Behind it was a silk black cape, and he had straight silver-white hair. On his face was a blue mask that looked a lot like Myotismon's.

"What's wrong?" QueenVespamon asked when she saw his concerned face.

"I rushed over here as fast as I could. I have some very grim news." The man answered as he quickly walked past the table. He opened another door and went through it. Gaiomon and QueenVespamon looked at each other with confusion on their faces. They both got up and followed the man.

They both sweatdropped when they saw him rush over to a cabinet and pull out a wine bottle. He also took out another bottle and three wine glasses. He popped the first bottle open and poured a glass for himself and took a sip from it and sighed. "Ah, much better."

"You come in dramatically after making us wait for so long and you run right past us for your wine!" QueenVespamon yelled.

"It's not wine. It's a special blood formula so I don't have to feed on you guys and my friends." The man said slightly intimidated by QueenVespamon's yelling.

"So, what's this grim news Boss?" Gaiomon asked.

Boss suddenly became much more serious and set his wine glass down. "You might want to prepare yourselves." He warned.

"Just tell us already." Gaiomon said impatiently.

"HiAndromon is dead." Boss said suddenly. QueenVespamon's and Gaiomon's eyes widened. QueenVespamon put an arm against the counter to support her. Gaiomon didn't move and just stared at Boss.

"Dead?" Gaiomon asked. "How can he be dead?"

"He was destroyed by Barbamon and Beelzemon. I saw it with my own eyes." Boss answered grimly. Gaiomon grabbed him by his collar and lifted him up to his face.

"Well didn't you do anything about it!?" he roared. "How could the two of you loose to them!?"

"You think I didn't try to help? I came in at the end of the battle. HiAndromon was almost dead. I was able to fend off the two Demon Lords but they escaped." Boss said as he glared right back at Gaiomon. "Don't you dare say that I don't care about my subordinates or that I didn't try to save him."

Gaiomon set Boss back on the ground and turned away. He and HiAndromon had been close. Looseing him was a big blow and Boss knew it. "I understand you are both feeling down, but we need to prepare for more attacks."

"Yes, you are right." Gaiomon said. QueenVespamon wiped away her tears and nodded her head in agreement.

"Alright, both of you get back to our bases as fast as you can. In fact, use the emergency transporter. Raise all of your defenses and call back all of your subordinates. I will send a messenger to Argomon." Boss commanded.

"How is he doing?" QueenVespamon asked. "I heard he was starting to deteriorate."

"He's doing better but he'll need all the help he can get. If you can afford it, send some of your troops over to his castle." Boss said. The two nodded and quickly made their way out of the room. Boss sighed as he leaned against the counter.

"This is not good." He mumbled to himself. "Not only are things acting up in the human world, but now HiAndromon was attacked and killed. The Seven Demon Lords are definitely up to something. I need to warn Haseo and Dr. Kurosaki. I should probably try to contact the Royal Knights as well."

He walked out of the room with a sigh. "Things are going to get very interesting. This is only the beginning."

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It was taking all Celena and Lunamon had to not burst into laughter. The two of them stared at Adam who seemed to be ignoring them. Instead, he was waiting for Haseo to say something. However, Haseo and Dorumon were both dumb struck.

Adam had decided to have a wardrobe change. Rather than wearing a lot of red, he was now wearing all black. The out fit was very close to Haseo's, minus the jacket. "I decided that I should start trying to be like my hero." Adam said with a proud smile. This broke Celena and Lunamon and they both began laughing uncontrollably. "Don't laugh at me Celena. It is not polite." Adam said in a perfect imitation of Haseo.

Celena and Lunamon were both rolling on the floor and roaring with laughter. Haseo turned his gaze to the two laughing girls and then back to Adam. "Um, Adam? Why are you talking as I do? And why have you decided to wear something similar to my own clothing?"

"I told you. I want to be just like you." Adam said with a smile.

Celena managed to stop laughing before she suffocated and grabbed her bag. She pulled a still very confused Haseo out the door and made her way to school. She continued chuckling and Haseo still had the shocked look on his face.

"Well you seem happy." Sakura said when she saw the two. "Anything I should know about?" she asked with her gossip voice.

"For the last time Sakura, we're not a couple. It's what Adam did this morning." Celena said as the three of them continued walking to school. "Apparently, Haseo is Adam's new hero."

"Really? How cute. That's just like your brother." Sakura said.

"It is most certainly not cute." Haseo mumbled, but Celena and Sakura didn't hear him.

"So anyway, Adam decided to start dressing like Haseo." Celena said.

"You mean in that gothy black?" Sakura asked before laughing. "Your brother is hilarious!"

"I know! You should have seen the look on Haseo's face. In fact, you still can." Celena said as she pointed at Haseo.

"You should be flattered Haseo. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Saklura said. "How is your side feeling?"

"It is feeling slightly better." Haseo answered. "Rai informed us of what happened yesterday. You have a partner now?"

"Yep! The little guy's name is Mushroomon. He's the same size as Dorumon, he has a purple head that looks like a mushroom, and he's sweeter than his weird appearance would suggest." Sakura said happily.

"And his job was to assassinate me." Haseo pointed out.

"Well yeah, but he isn't bad anymore. And he doesn't know anything. He was just paid to kill you and Dorumon." Sakura said.

"How do we know this isn't some scheme to get to Haseo? Maybe he decided to do that after he realized you weren't Haseo." Celena said.

"I hope not! He seems so sweet!" Sakura yelled.

"Perhaps we should keep an eye on Mushroomon." Haseo suggested. "We would do well not to trust him for the time being."

"You do things your way, I'll do things mine." Sakura said.

"You mean the insane gossiping, ditzy blond way?" Celena asked.

"No! My blonde hair is died."

"And yet you still help give blondes a bad name." Celena said jokingly.

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Haseo sighed as he sat on the sidelines. When the coach heard about his injury he insisted on Haseo staying out of the game. He watched with disinterest as Masurao came up to bat. Even though they only saw each other during PE, they had managed to become fairly good friends.

"Excuse me." Haseo looked over and saw Sakura standing in a gym uniform next to him. "This might sound weird, but I think that girl over there is watching you." she said as she pointed over to one of the girls. She seemed to be looking the other way. "Or at least, I think she was."

"How odd." Haseo commented.

"You know, there's a rumor going around school." Sakura said.

"A rumor?" Haseo asked unsurely. Sakura was a reliable source for rumors, but the rumors themselves weren't always reliable. In fact they were almost never reliable and most of the time completely farfetched.

"Well, there's a rumor going around that you have a secret admirer." Sakura said.

"What?" Haseo asked in surprise.

"That's right, an admirer. Apparently, there's a girl that's been asking a lot about you. Who you are, where you're from. Nothing too weird, but it might be worth looking into it." Sakura said.

"I see." Haseo said. "A secret admirer. I find it hard to believe."

"Well don't. You're nice. Don't get me wrong, you're definitely not my type, but I'm sure there's a girl out there looking for you." Sakura said before walking back to the sport shed to grab an extra soccer ball.

"I guess there might be." Haseo said aloud.

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Haseo walked down the halls and towards the exit. The conversation with Sakura had already been forgotten and he was currently going to meet Celena and the rest of the group. He turned a corner and was knocked back when he collided with someone.

"Oh my, I am terribly sorry." Haseo apologized. He picked up the other person's bag and put the few books that had fallen out back in. He handed the bag to its owner. It was a girl that looked to be the same age as he was.

"Thanks." She said. "I'm sorry for bumping into you." She said a little distractedly. She seemed to be staring at Haseo's face. He blinked when he realized she was actually staring at his hair.

"Can I help you with something?" Haseo asked.

"Oh! Sorry, I was just looking at your hair." The girl said embarrassedly as she looked away. "It reminded me of an old friend's."

"An old friend?" Haseo asked.

"Yeah. You sort of look like him too. What's your name?" she asked.

"Haseo." He replied with a small bow.

"Haseo? Well I guess you're not him then. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I haven't seen him years." She replied.

"I see. That must be sad. It sounds like you miss him." Haseo said.

"Yes. I haven't seen him since I was five. We were great friends and I have no trouble remembering him." She said. "He had white hair just like yours, but his eyes were green."

"I see. What is your name?" Haseo asked

"My name is Kaya Sayu." She said with a somewhat sad look.

"Is something wrong?" Haseo asked.

"This might sound weird, but I feel sad. I saw you the other day and I thought you were him. So I've been asking around about you." Kaya said with an embarrassed smile.

"So it's been you?" Haseo asked with a small laugh. "You must really miss your friend."

"I do. I guess when I saw you, I was reminded of Ryou." Kaya said.

"R-Ryou?" Haseo asked.

"Yeah, that was his name. Is something wrong?" Kaya asked when she saw Haseo hold his head in his right hand.

"Y-yes I just, my head hurts." Haseo said quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said quickly before quickly walking away.

"No way. That couldn't be Ryou, could it?" Kaya wondered as she watched Haseo run away.

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"Please, stay back!" the small blue bird digimon pleaded.

"Not happening. You little monsters need to learn to stay out of this world." The yong boy in front of him said.

"Please, I won't hurt anybody!" Penguinmon yelled.

"Get him Ryudamon." The boy commanded. The armor covered dragon nodded and charged at Penguinmon. He drew a katana and slashed through the bird. It returned to a digitama and Ryudamon sheathed his blade.

"Maybe you digimon will learn to stay out of this world. But until then, I will defend it." The boy said as he turned and walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is kind of short and doesn't have any action

This chapter is kind of short and doesn't have any action. But it does have a lot of important story stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the story.

Chapter 7: Making Preparations, and Questions Being Answered.

"Get the soldiers prepared and the defenses raised!" Gaiomon commanded. Many digimon rushed around him as they ran to various areas of his large palace. The palace was done in a traditional Japanese Daimyo style. Gaiomon continued shouting orders as he marched through the long and wide hallway.

"Sir!" A voice called from across the room. A large samurai digimon ran over to him.

"Yes, Musyamon?" Gaiomon asked.

"I have prepared the messenger and sent him out to Argomon's castle. Currently the defenses are at 85 percent and our army is at 80 percent power." Musyamon reported.

"How much longer until the rest of the troops are here?" Gaiomon asked.

"It shouldn't be much longer, Sir." Musyamon answered.

"Well hurry up with the rest of the preparations." Gaiomon ordered.

"Yes Sir!" Musyamon yelled before dashing off to help. Gaiomon watched him go before turning around and continued walking. He walked through the rest of the running around digimon and opened two ornately designed double doors. He was now inside the throne room, which also looked like that of a Japanese castle. He walked past his throne area and drew one of his swords.

The blade curved like a scimitar and ended in a point that jutted forward at the tip. He carefully put the blade on it's side and put it into a cross on the door. He drew his other blade and put it in the same way, but in the other cross. The two blades were now crossed like an X. He grabbed the two handles that were under the blade tips and above the blade handles. He turned the area and moved the swords until they were upside down.

Several locks were herd clicking and shifting. He took his two blades and sheathed them before the whole wall rose up from the ground. He walked through the whole and into the dark tunnel. He took an unlit torch from a wall and created a fireball in his hand and lit it. He put the torch back on the wall and all of the rows of torches lit up in similar fire.

He walked down the hall, guided by the light of the fires. His large feet made thudding noises with every step, but the noise that was filling the castle did not reach the room. Everyone in the castle was preparing for an attack from the Demon Lords. He was as well, but these preparations were far more important.

"I wonder." He thought to himself. "Who will the next guardian of the West Gate be? With HiAndromon gone and the Demon Lords plotting, a successor must be picked quickly."

He arrived at the end of the hallway and walked into a large circular room. In the middle of the room was a red gate made of wood. It was tall and had two supporting beams on the edge and two beams stretching across from on top. Essentially, it would look perfect for the courtyard of the castle, but this was no ordinary gate.

He walked in front of the gate and stuck both of his swords into thin slits in the ground. He walked over to the other side of the gate and did the same with the sheaths. The four of them glowed brightly and a large red dome of energy surrounded the gate. Gaiomon took out the sheaths and swords and walked out of the room.

"There, that should protect the East Gate. At least, for now." Gaiomon said as he walked out of his throne room to continue making preparations.

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Celena opened the door to her house and she and Haseo walked in. She frowned when she looked over at Haseo. He had hardly said anything on their way home from school and seemed to be distracted by something. "Are you alright?" Celena asked.

Before Haseo could answer, Celena's father called them into the living room. "Celena, Haseo! There's someone here who you guys should see!" Haseo walked into the living room and ignored Celena's question. She frowned but followed Haseo. Celena looked into the room and stared at the man sitting in a chair next to Dorumon.

"Boss?" Haseo asked.

"Hey Haseo." The man replied with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Haseo asked with the same surprised look on his face.

"Unfortunately, it's not a pleasure trip. I'm here to tell you about things that have been going on in my end of the plan." Boss answered. "I can only stay here overnight."

"That is unfortunate." Haseo said with a frown.

"I know. I wish I could stay longer but I am only here because I have bad news for you and your friends." Boss said. He stood up and walked over to Celena. "I need you to call your group of friends. The ones with the digimon partners."

"Okay." Celena said with a confused look. She walked out of the room and went to the phone and called Loaño, Rai and Jasper, and Sakura. The four of them agreed to come over and she decided to go back into the living room. She realized that she didn't know much about Haseo, so maybe this 'Boss' person would be able to help.

"They're coming." Celena said when she got back to the room.

"Excellent. If you'll excuse me, I need to go get a few things from my suitcase." Boss said before walking out of the room and upstairs.

"He seems kind of weird." Lunamon said.

"He is not! He's cool! And the best and coolest guy I know!" Dorumon snapped back.

"Why do people call him Boss?" Celena asked.

"Because he is the leader of the Tsukikuro organization." Haseo answered.

"Black Moon huh? What's that?" Adam asked.

"Tsukikuro was created by six like-minded digimon. They all believed in protecting other digimon despite their attributes like angel, beast, or demon. They secured a portion of the Dark Area. If any digimon waned to live their, they were allowed to regardless of their attributes or affinities. When the non-evil dark digimon heard about this they all gradually moved there." Haseo answered.

"The leader of the organization is the Boss. He's earned a bad reputation because even though he protects and helps good digimon, there are times when he has to help out the bad ones as well." Dorumon added. "Eventually the organization grew until four of the original founders had a portion of their area of the dark area, and then the Boss lives in the center. Every digimon that lives in the Tsukikuro region gets to pick where they live and helps out the organization as part of it's work force."

"Wow. And he's the boss of all that?" Celena asked.

"He sure is! He's as strong as any one of the Demon Lords. He can even take on four at once and still win!" Dorumon boasted proudly. Celena was about to ask who those were when she heard the doorbell. She got up and answered it, and ushered the group in.

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The large group was seated in the living room. Boss sighed before beginning. "Haseo and Dorumon informed you all of Tsukikuro, correct?" he asked.

"Yep." Adam answered for the group.

"The five head members are HiAndromon, QueenVespamon, Argomon, Gaiomon, and myself. Recently we have been having a few security issues. We've been finding more and more digimon that are working for the Seven Demon Lords." Boss said grimly.

"Who are they?" Jasper asked.

"Seven mysterious evil digimon. They are Barbamon, Beelzemon, Lilithmon, Daemon, Leviamon, Belphemon, and Lucemon. Nobody really knows where they all came from, but they are very dark and evil digimon. They intend on destroying this world and ruling the Digital World." Boss explained.

"So basically we just have to take them out and we're home free." Rai said.

"Yes, but it's not that easy. They are extremely powerful digimon. Their strength is frightening and it will take more than just you humans and digimon alone to beat them. That's why I'm offering my help." Boss said. "Now stop asking questions and getting ahead of me and let me explain everything."

"Please continue." Sakura said.

"Right, well recently the Demon Lords have been making their moves. They are trying to bring down my organization and the Human World." Boss said but was interrupted again.

"How do they plan on doing that? Apparently your some super digimon." Loaño said.

"First, stop interrupting me! Second, they plan on taking out my four friends and then storming my castle. HiAndromon has already fallen." Boss said. Haseo and Dorumon both gasped.

"But HiAndromon is your strategist! And he's paranoid about his security! How did they manage to get in and kill him!?" Dorumon yelled.

"I don't know yet. I got there at the last minute and fended Barbamon and Beelzemon off. Most likely is that they used some of their people on the inside." Boss said. "I've already told Gaiomon, QueenVespamon, and Argomon to increase their security and I've made sure that the survivors of the attack at the Factory are safe."

"Even if all four of your friends fall, how do they plan on attacking you? You are strong enough to defeat them all if you have to, and they are aware of that fact." Haseo said.

"I believe that they are searching for something in the Human World. Have you noticed a pattern in the digimon's appearances?" Boss asked.

"Yuppers! We have!" Lockheed yelled.

"They've all been appearing in the park." Kidd said.

"In fact, Coronamon dark digivolved there." Hawkmon said.

"Really? Well then it sounds like there must be something in that park." Boss said. "As soon as your team is ready, you should check out the park."

"Yes Sir." Haseo said.

"Good. Now, I have a present for Adam." Boss said.

"For me?" Adam asked.

"Of course! I heard that you were feeling down about everyone around you having a partner and that you didn't." Boss said.

"I sure have. I feel useless without a partner." Adam said sadly.

"Well then how about this." Boss said as he pulled a black digitama from his suitcase. If you're wondering, its magic and can hold thousands of things.

"Wow! I can have this for my partner!" Adam yelled in surprise.

"Yep. I already cleared it with your parents." Boss said as he handed Adam the egg. Adam took the egg and sat back down with it in his arms. He held on to the large egg with a large smile on his face. "Remember Adam, you need to be careful with your partner. This digimon grows and is strengthened by the emotions around it."

"Okay." Adam said as he hugged the large egg to him. "Who is it?" he asked without taking his eyes from the egg.

"I think it will be better to wait and see who it is. But trust me, you and that little guy will be very important to the salvation of these two worlds." Boss said with a smile.

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"You guys should be more careful." Kaya said. "You could get seriously hurt if you guys aren't."

"Yeah, yeah." He friend said.

"I'm serious Kuro-kun. One of these days you two will bite off more than you can chew." Kaya said.

"No we won't. We can take down any of those evil monsters." Her friend replied. "And for the last time stop calling me Kuro-kun! We're not kids anymore so call me Hanekuro!"

"Nope. You'll always be Kuro-kun to me." Kaya said. "Oh, speaking of when we were kids it turned out I was wrong. He wasn't Ryou."

"Well duh, I told you Ryou is gone. He moved away a long time ago." Hanekuro said sadly.

"But you guys are brothers! Surely there's a way for you guys to meet." Kaya said.

"No. I guess I should tell you the truth. He didn't move away, he's dead." Hanekuro said grimly. "I didn't ant to tell you because we were only five at the time."

"Kuro-kun! How could you keep that a secret for so long?" Kaya asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because it hurt too much to say it out loud. Maybe I wanted to protect you from feeling the way I did. But one way or another, he's gone. And I don't want to see that happen to anyone else again. I don't want to see the digimon hurt anybody, and that's why Ryudamon and I can't be careful."


	8. Chapter 8

I know there isn't a lot of fighting yet, but trust me this is all a big setup for a big thing later

I know there isn't a lot of fighting yet, but trust me this is all a big setup for a big thing later.

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

Chapter 8: Flames of a Dark Night

I looked around at everyone and smiled. My cousin Celena was there. So were my grandparents, and my best friends Sakura and Rai. Even little Jasper and Adam were there. My smile widened when I saw my cake and I looked into the nine flames.

Wait, flames? I looked around at the happy faces again and realized they weren't there. Everything suddenly lit up in giant flames. "Mom! Dad!" I shouted in despair. I turned around and saw the dark silhouette of a man. I fell down to my knees and began crying, when I saw a bigger figure lunge at the first. He was hit away and the bigger thing picked me up and ran away.

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Loaño woke up with a small gasp. She raised a hand to her forehead and felt a cold sweat. She sat up and took a few deep breaths. She hit the button on the alarm when it started to beep. Kidd, lying in another bed across the room, sat up and took one look at Loaño and asked, "What's up Lo? You look like death."

"Nothing too bad." Loaño replied. "Now get out so I can get ready for school."

"Are you really still embarrassed? I've been your partner since you were a little girl." Kidd said.

"Yes, now get out." Loaño said. Kidd stuck out his tongue and Loaño threw her pillow in his face. Kidd threw the pillow to the floor and grumbled as he walked out of the room. He stood in front of the door and watched a few kids run around as they also got ready for school.

"Hey Kidd." A voice said.

"Hey Kaya." He replied.

"Loaño getting ready?" Kaya asked.

"Yep." Kidd said with a yawn. He looked around the hall as more and more kids came running through. Luckily though, there were never very many kids in the orphanage. Rather than other cliché stories, this orphanage was actually a pretty nice place. They even allowed digimon to live with there partners. Or maybe they were just too scared to say no to Kidd.

He moved when he heard the door open and a sleepy looking Loaño came out of the room. She yawned and waved at Kaya and she waved back. "Are you alright?" Kaya asked. "You look like,"

"Death? Yeah I already said it. She doesn't feel like talking about it." Kidd said. "See you guys." He said with a wave.

"Bye Kidd." The two girls said as they walked down the hall.

"So, what's up?" Kaya asked.

Nothing, just a weird dream." Loaño answered.

"The dream with the flying monkeys again?" Kaya asked.

"What? No, I haven't had that dream in over a year." Loaño said. "It was about the fire."

"Oh." Kaya said since she couldn't think of anything else to say. She had never known her parents, and she never knew what it was like to loose them. For that she was grateful, but at the same time she wasn't. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I just need to have some time to myself after school." Loaño replied.

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"Are you alright Haseo? You seem a little out of it." Masurao said. The two of them were jogging on the track halfheartedly. Masurao had noticed something wrong with Haseo the minute he had seen him at the beginning of class.

"I suppose I feel alright. It is just a lot has been happening recently." Haseo replied.

"Oh I get it, girl troubles. Things aren't working out between you and Celena are they?" Masurao asked.

"Why is it that people always assume we are a couple? And why do you always assume that a guy has girl troubles when they act somewhat depressed?" Haseo asked.

"Well what else could you be depressed about? School?" Masurao asked with a joking smile.

"It is neither Celena nor is it school. Well maybe it is about school a little bit, but there is something more important." Hasep replied.

"Well what then?" Masurao asked.

"Are you capable of keeping a secret? I mean a very important secret?" Haseo asked seriously.

"Sure." Masurao replied.

Haseo sighed before he started explaining about the recent events with the digimon and the park. Masuro listened intently and looked at Haseo with a questioning look. When Haseo finished Masurao continued to look at him.

"So you not believe me?" Haseo asked.

"No, I do believe you. Is it safe to be in the city if the digimon are coming?" he asked worriedly.

"There is no reason to worry about your safety. You and your other friends are perfectly safe, so long as my friends and I take care of the digimon." Haseo replied.

"I know. I meant you and your friends. You said one of the digimon was after you and your partner, and another digimon already hurt you. Are you guys alright?" Masurao asked.

Haseo looked at Masurao in surprise. That wasn't a question he was expecting from Masurao, or really anybody. In his experience, most humans usually ran from most digimon just because of how they looked and only cared about themselves. They were not normally against abandoning other people. "Are you not afraid Masurao?"

"Me? Of course not! I pity an idiot digimon that tries to mess with me or any of my friends." Masurao said with a confident smile. "And that includes you and Celena."

Haseo stared at Masurao but he slowly smiled. "Thank you for being so worried for my friends and myself. You certainly are brave, Masurao."

"You think so? Well my name does mean warrior." He said with a smile.

"Indeed. Like a courageous knight." Haseo said with a slight change in his voice.

"Are you being sarcastic or something? Do you think you're funny?" Masurao asked as he and Haseo stopped when they crossed the finish line.

"Me, sarcastic? Never." Haseo replied.

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Loaño sighed as she stood in front of the two gravestones. She was never sure why she came here when she felt sad, but she always did. "Come on Lo, let's go already." Kidd said from behind her.

"Not yet. You don't have to stay you know." She replied.

"Oh man, if you feel so sad then why do you always come here?" Kidd asked.

"I don't know." Loaño replied sadly. She felt warm tears start to form in her eyes. She knelt down in front of the graves. She lightly touched both of them and felt the cold stone on her hands. It broke her and small tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I am sorry. I did not know someone else was here." Loaño looked up and saw Haseo and Dorumon. "Are you alright?" he asked when he saw he tears.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Loaño answered. "It's funny. Whenever I feel down I come here."

"We are the same way." Haseo said.

"Oh? Can I ask who's here?" Loaño asked hesitantly.

"Well, nobody is actually buried here." Haseo said.

"Huh?" Loaño asked with a confused look.

"Let me explain. You see, we've lost some of our friends, and there weren't any bodies left behind. So really whenever Otouto and I feel down we come to a graveyard. I guess it sounds silly huh?"

"Not really. I guess it's the symbolism of a graveyard. It let's you remember the good and bad times of your departed loved ones, even if they aren't necessarily buried there." Loaño said.

"Wow, That was surprisingly poetic." Kidd said with a smirk.

"Oh shut up!" she snapped back.

"If I may ask, who is it that is buried here?" Haseo asked as he moved next to Loaño.

"My mom and dad. They both died in a fire." She answered quietly.

"I am sorry. I hope I did not upset you more then you already are." Haseo said as he looked at the graves.

"No, not really." She replied. "Things sure are getting crazy lately, aren't they?" Loaño asked.

"Indeed. Things are starting to get very chaotic." Haseo agreed. The four of them stood in silence for a few more minutes. The time slowly ticked by as they both thought of there departed friends or family.

"I think we should leave before we start crying or something." Loaño said.

"I agree." Haseo said. The four of them left the cemetery, each thinking of there fallen friends or family. "So, where do you live?" Haseo asked once they were a little bit away from the cemetery.

"I live at a local orphanage. It's not as bad as it sounds." Loaño replied. "Kidd lives there too."

"Well duh. I can't see someone saying no to Kidd unless they're insane or they have a death wish." Dorumon said.

"Watch it furball." Kidd growled.

"You're staying with Celena right?" Loaño asked.

"Yes." Haseo said. The four continued walking and tried to break the awkward silence. Unfortunately they couldn't think of anything to say to each other. "I suppose we should depart." Haseo said quietly.

"Yeah, I guess so." Loaño agreed. "You know, oddly enough I think you helped cheer me up. Thanks Haseo." Loaño said before she and Kidd walked down another street.

"I kind of like her. Are you going to ask her out?" Dorumon asked.

"Ryu-nisan!" Haseo yelled in embarrassment as his face lit up a bright red.

"Oh that's right, you have your eyes on Celena." Dorumon said with a taunting smile.

"Let's just go home." Haseo replied before walking down the sidewalk in the direction of Celena's house.

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"I can't believe I had to call them." Boss grumbled. "But of course I did. I knew I would, but I still don't like that I had to." He was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. "I really wished I could have waited a bit, but things are progressing far two quickly."

"Aw, I thought you liked me." A woman said as she entered the room. She had snow-white hair and glistening blue eyes. She had a slim figure, with a red skirt that fell to her knees and boots that stretched up to her knees. He had a black t-shirt and a crimson jacket that stretched down to the back of her knees. On her shoulder rested a pure white cat with a red ribbon around it's neck.

"Oh I do like you. It's her that I don't like." Boss said as he pointed at the cat.

"Oh, are you still holding that against me?" the cat asked. It moved it's tail to reveal a crystal tip.

"Yes. Yes I am. I still can't believe that you two are partners." Boss said. "I mean really, of all the people and digimon, you two become a team."

"Oh stop whining. I heard that HiAndromon fell to the Demon Lords." The woman said.

"Oh no, you two want the job?" Boss asked.

"Unless you don't think we're capable." The cat said.

"Wow, I am really desperate. Alright fine, I guess I don't have a choice. Yosuya and CrystalGatomon, I hereby hire you as the guardians of the Eastern Gate." The Boss said with a frown.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the story concept

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the story concept.

Chapter 9: Dogs, Dragons, and Cats

"Hey Loaño. Hey Kidd." Kaya greeted when her two friends got home.

"Hey Kaya." Loaño greeted with a smile. Kidd merely grunted in return.

"I need some help." Kaya said.

"With what?" Loaño asked.

"It has to do with digimon." Kaya replied before leading the two of them to her room. She opened the door and quietly walked in. She moved out of the way and let her friends in before closing and locking the door.

"Oh no. This is the part where she wraps us up with spider web and then sucks our blood." Kidd said. This was a common joke for him because Kaya usually wore dark clothes. Everyone always joked about her being a vampire, but really she was a nice girl that wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Vampires don't use spider web." Kaya said.

"They do in my world!" Loaño said.

"Yeah well, nothing makes sense in your little world. But seriously guys, I need your help." Kaya said. She walked over to her closet and opened it to reveal more dark clothes.

"What, you mean picking out a new wardrobe?" Kidd asked with a smirk.

"Shut it, Fuzzball." Loaño said for her friends. Kaya ducked into the closet and pulled out a large cardboard box with a large mass of sheets in them. The sheets moved around a bit and suddenly a small white ball of fur popped out of it. It smiled at everyone and let out a small bark.

"Oh snap, you have a digimon?" Kidd asked.

"No, her science experiment went horribly wrong and it brought her stuffed animal to life. Of course it's a digimon!" Loaño snapped. "Why were you keeping her in your closet?"

"Because I didn't want anyone else to know. It's not like I was keeping her locked up or anything. I just kept her in there when I stepped out of the room. When I went to school today I just locked my door and let her hang out in my room." Kaya explained.

"Well why don't you tell the worker people?" Loaño asked. "They let me keep Kidd here." She then looked between Kidd and the fluffball. "Oh, you think they'll kick her out because she doesn't make most people piss themselves."

"Exactly." Kaya said as she looked down at the fluffball.

"What's her name?" Loaño asked.

"Kegawamon!" the fluffball yipped like a dog.

"Alright, what do you want us to do?" Kidd asked.

"Help me talk them into letting Kegawamon stay. Please?" Kaya asked.

"Sure, we'll help." Loaño said. The four of them left the room and walked back to the main room. The looked at the reception counter but nobody was there. They heard someone walk through the front door and turned to see if it was someone who worked there. They stopped dead when they saw who it was.

"Oh no. Please no." Kidd whispered in fear.

"Loaño! Kaya!" Yosuya screamed. She rushed over at hugged the two girls. "It's been so long since I've seen you guys! How are you?"

"Yosuya?" the two girls asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I came back and I'm here for my job." Yosuya said.

"Wait, have you seen Hanekuro yet?" Kaya asked.

"Yes, don't worry we already stopped by." Yosuya replied.

"We?" Kaya asked. She then noticed the white cat sitting on Yosuya's shoulder. "Who is that?"

"I am CrystalGatomon." The cat replied.

"So, do you know where anyone is? I was told to talk to someone when I got back about getting my old job." Ysouya said. "And who's this?" she asked when she looked at Kegawamon.

"Kegawamon!" she yipped.

"She's my new partner." Kaya said with a smile.

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Celena smiled as she watched her brother sit with the egg in his lap. He hadn't let the egg out of his sight and even slept with it in his bed. He was currently using a wash cloth to clean the egg and to make sure it maintained it's shine.

Haseo and Dorumon both walked through the door and sat next to Celena and Lunamon. "Hey." Celena greeted.

"Where have you guys been?" Lunamon asked.

"We went out for a walk and ran into Loaño at the cemetery." Dorumon answered.

"Were you aware that she lived at an orphanage?" Haseo asked.

"Of course, she's my cousin. My grandfather is her grandfather's younger brother." Celena answered. "She's lived at the orphanage since she was nine. Her parents died in a fire."

"That's what she told us." Dorumon said.

"Well at least she's happy. She has Kidd, and her best friends Kaya." Celena said.

"Kaya? I believe I met someone with that name the other day." Haseo said.

"Really?" Celena asked.

"Yes. She mistook me for her old friend Ryou." Haseo replied.

"I see. Well from what she and Loaño have told me, Kaya used to be great friends with two kids. Kaya has lived at the orphanage since she was three. She met her two friends Ryou and Hanekuro because their mother used to work at the orphanage." Celena explained.

"What happened to Ryou?" Haseo asked.

"Well back when the three of them were five, Ryou suddenly disappeared. He was just gone without a trace. It led to a few problems at their home and Hanekuro's parents had a divorce. Hanekuro stayed with his father, but Yosuya moved away." Celena said. "Also, Yosuya is actually good friends with my parents and Loaño's parents, but I've never actually met her. I don't even know what she looks like."

"Interesting." Haseo replied. "I can not help but wonder what happened to Ryou."

"Nobody knows. He just disappeared without a trace. The police investigated, but nobody ever found anything." Celena replied.

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"So why did you come back? And where did you go?" Kaya asked. She, Yosuya, Loaño, Kidd, and CrystalGatomon had just finished getting Yosuya her job back and authorizing Kegawamon to stay at the orphanage. Yosuya decided to go pick up Hanekuro and take everyone out for a little while.

"I decided to come back because it's what my job required." Yosuya replied.

"Come on Mom, why did you come back? And why did you even go in the first place?" Hanekuro asked from beside her.

"Oh look, we're here." Yosuya said and dodged the question. Everyone pilled out of the car. "If I remember correctly, there was a delightful ice cream shop near here."

"Yeah, it's still here." Loaño said. The group moved down the sidewalk. Yosuya continued to dodge every one of their questions about where she had been for the past years.

"Well can you at least tell us how you met CrystalGatomon?" Hanekuro asked.

"We met a little while after I left. I went to meet a business associate of mine, and on my way back I met here." Yosuya replied. "How did all of you meet?"

"You already know our story. Kidd and I have been together for a long time." Loaño said.

"Well Kegawamon and I just met yesterday. I was coming home from Hanekuro's house and I stopped at a buss stop. I had the extra money so I decided to wait for the bus. I heard a barking noise and I just thought it was a dog. But then the next thing I know, Kegawamon was biting the back of my shoe." Kaya answered. Kegawamon barked in return.

"I'll tell you how Ryudamon and I met as soon as you tell me more about you." Hanekuro said. "Come on mom, we're family. Doesn't that mean anything?"

Yosuya stopped and looked at Hanekuro with sad eyes. She hugged him closer to her and said "That means more to me than anything else Hanekuro. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything yet. But I promise I'll fill all of you in as soon as I can."

Hanekuro hugged her back for a few seconds before realizing what he was doing. He pulled away with an embarrassed look on his face. "Mom! Stop embarrassing me in front of my friends." Everyone, including the normally silent Ryudamon, laughed at his reaction.

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"I have an idea." Yosuya said as they walked back to the car. "Why don't we take a walk through the park? It seems like a nice day."

"That's not a good idea." Loaño said.

"Why not?" Kaya asked. Loaño and Kidd explained the recent events to the others.

"Don't worry. If anything, we'll find a clue to what's going on." Yosuya said. She turned towards the park and started walking into it. The others looked at one another but decided to follow her. "You see? There's nothing to worry about." she said as they reached about half way through the park.

Kegawamon suddenly started shaking. "What's wrong Kegawamon?" Kaya asked. The little fluffball suddenly jumped from her arms and flew through the park. The group chased after her and they were soon in the flower field in the middle of the park. Kegawamon was sitting in the middle of the flowers with a content smile on her face.

"Kegawamon you can't run off like that!" Kaya scolded as she picked her partner up. She gasped when the earth started trembling and everyone fell down to the ground. A large roaring sound was heard. Everyone looked around but nothing seemed out of the ordinary and the quake soon stopped.

"What was that?" Kidd asked.

"I don't know." Yosuya answered.

"It was me." A voice said. Everyone looked up and saw larger rocks fall from the sky and land in front of Kaya. The rocks shook on the ground and suddenly flew back up and attached themselves together to form a monstrous figure. "I am Golemon!" it roared.

"Go get him Kidd!" Loaño ordered.

"You too Ryudamon!" Hanekuro ordered as well.

Golemon roared as he brought his fist down but it was stopped by Ryudamon's katana and Kidd's fist. He opened his mouth and called out "Rock Barrage!" before large rocks rained down on the digimon.Kidd and Ru\yudamon both jumped back, and Kidd pulled Kaya away.

"Dragon's Katana!" Ryudamon yelled as he charged at Golemon with his sword. The sword hit Golemon but bounced off without even leaving a scratch. Golemon smirked as he punched Ryudamon down. He brought up his foot and kicked Ryudamon away. Ryudamon went flying back and rolled on the ground.

"Ryudamon!" Hanekuro yelled in despair as he ran over to his friend.

"Wolf Fist!" Kidd roared as he punched Golemon. Golemon brought hios own fist down and the two clashed in a fight of strength. The two continued to push against each other, but Golemon had a height advantage. He pushed Kidd down on his knee and then kicked him in the side when he wasn't looking. Kidd flinched and Golemon pounded him into the ground.

"Kidd!" Loaño yelled.

Kaya looked between Kidd and Ryudamon. She looked down at Kegawamon who was trembling in her arms. "Don't worry." she whispered. "I won't let that happen to you. I'm going to protect you at all costs." Kegawamon looked up at Kaya and smiled.

"I want to help too." She whispered.

"Then let's take him down!" Kaya yelled. Her whole body shone a bright orange. Kegawamon jumped up and began glowing When she landed on the ground she was no longer the cure little puffball, but instead she was a large wolf about the size of Garurumon or Gaogamon in a kimono. Her red eyes glared at Golemon.

"What are you?" Golemon asked in shock.

"InuDramon. And this is Reaving Sphere!" she roared as she launched a large energy ball at Golemon. The large rock monster was hit back.

"I'm not down yet." Kidd said. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Of course." InuDramon said with a smirk. Kidd jumped to the opposite side of Golemon. He bent down onto all fours and suddenly the two of them were gone. Golemon gasped as wind rushed around him and large slashes covered his body.

"Wolf Blade Cyclone!" the two dogs roared. The two landed next to each other and Golemon fell backwards with a loud thud. InuDramon glowed brightly and shrank down to a smaller dog on it's hind legs wearing a kimono. She stood at Kaya's waist and had a happy smile.

"That was amazing Inu-chan!" Kaya said as she hugged her partner.

"Inu-chan? In this form I am Koinumon, but Inu-chan works." She replied. "Is Ryudamon alright?"

"Yes." The samurai dragon replied. "He merely knocked the wind out of me."

"Nice job everyone!" Yosuya said with a smile.

"Why didn't you help?" Kidd asked.

"Because we knew you could handle yourselves." Yosuya replied. "To be honest, we could've taken him out in a single shot, but I wanted to see how well you fought. I have to say, I'm impressed."

"I won't loose!" A loud voice roared. The rocks of Golemon floated up and began glowing black. They reformed together and created a larger and far more menacing rock monster with large wings "BoulderDramon!"

"It dark digivolved?" Hanekuro asked.

"Death Meteor!" the dragon roared. It fired a large flaming rock from it's mouth at the group. It flew towards them with incredible speed. None of them had time to do anything. Nobody except for Yosuya and CrystalGatomon.

"Digisoul, Full-Charge." Yosuya said as he formed a crimson red digisoul around her hand. She took out a small device and placed her hand on top of it.

"CrystalGatomon shinka, RoseGatomon!" she cried. The meteor suddenly exploded. And BoulderDramon gasped when he saw RoseGatomon standing where the rock had been. She stood as tall as Yosuya did, not counting her large purple ears. She wore green armor around her upper body and arms. On her lower body and legs was white armor.

"Is it me, or does she look like Mia?" Kaya asked.

"I am CrystalGatomon Perfect (Ultimate) form RoseGatomon." The cat said.

"She digivolved twice in a row." Hanekuro said in awe.

"I'll kill you!" BoulderDramon roared. He gasped when RoseGatomon suddenly appeared in front of the dragon.

"Lateral Moon." She said as she unsheathed her sword and slashed through the dragon. He roared before exploding and reforming as a digitama. RoseGatomon turned to the group and smiled. "We told you we could take him in one shot."

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	10. Chapter 10

Dislcaimer: See: Every other chapter

Dislcaimer: See: Every other chapter! Honestly, do we have to put this on every chapter!?

Chapter 10: Master and Servant

His eyes welled up with tears and his bottom lip began quivering. He began breathing heavily and his face grew redder. His eyes finally burst with tears and he began crying loudly.

"Calm down Ryou. It's okay." Hanekuro comforted. He sat down next to his younger brother and hugged him. "Don't worry, I'll go get Mommy." He said. He turned to Kaya and said "Watch Ryou." And then stood up and ran into the house. "Mommy! Ryou got hurt!" he yelled.

"What happened? Is he alight?" Yosuya asked.

"I don't know. We were playing in the backyard and he tripped and fell and then he started crying!" Hanekuro said frantically.

Yosuya sighed as she headed out the back door and muttered "I get up just to go to the bathroom and already someone is crying." She opened the back door and hurried over to Ryou who was still sniffling and crouched in front of him and put a hand on his head. "Are you alright?" she asked with a kind smile and voice.

Ryou didn't answer but he threw his arms around his mother and started crying more. "It's alright." Yosuya said as she patted his back. "What happened?"

"We were playing out here, and then Hanekuro kicked the ball next to the fence, and then Ryou ran to get it but he tripped and started crying." Kaya answered. "I think he hurt his knee."

Yosuya gently let go of Ryou and moved his leg so she could look at his knee. She smilled a little bit when she saw an extremely small scrap. "This is it? Oh Ryou, that's nothing to cry about." She said kindly as she hugged her son again.

"Man what a baby." Hanekuro said. Now that the 'crisis' had been averted Hanekuro went from 'protective brother' back to 'older brother'. "It's just a scratch Ryou. Calm down."

"Shut up!" Ryou yelled back.

"Make me!" the six year old snapped back.

"Okay, that's enough!" Yosuya intervened. "Hanekuro, don't make fun of your brother like that. He's not a baby."

"Fine." He grunted in return.

Yosuya sighed and got up. "I'll be watching from the kitchen, but you should still be careful alright?

"Okay." Ryou answered.

Yosuya walked back into the house and Hanekuro turned to Ryou. "Crybaby." He said.

"I am not!" Ryou said back.

"Stop Hanekuro. You're being mean." Kaya said scolding her friend for his mean remark.

"It's not my fault Ryou is such a crybaby." Hanekuro said as he shrugged.

"I am not a crybaby." Ryou said sadly. "I wish you weren't so mean." He mumbled to quietly for the others to hear him.

"What was that, Crybaby?" Hanekuro taunted.

Ryou looked up at his older brother and glared and said, "I wish you weren't my brother!"

"Take that back!" Hanekuro yelled.

"No!" Ryou yelled back.

"Stop it!" Kaya yelled. The two brothers glared at each other before they started to fight. They kept punching and kicking each other but Yosuya was out there so fast Kaya heard the door open at the same time Yosuya was stopping her two sons from fighting.

"That's enough!" Yosuya commanded.

"He started it! He called me a crybaby!" Ryou yelled.

"No, he started it! He said he wished he wasn't my brother!" Hanekuro snarled back.

"That's enough!" Yosuya yelled. "I don't care which of you started it. Both of you go to your rooms and stay there. If I here any talking from you until I come in there you're both grounded. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." Hanekuro and Ryou said.

Yosuya sighed as she watched her sons walk into the house. She turned and looked at Kaya with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry they acted that way. I know you're staying here over night but can I ask you to not talk with them for a little bit?"

"Okay. I get it." Kaya answered.

"Good. I'm sorry but they need to learn to be friendlier to each other. They're going to be stuck with each other for the next thirteen years of their lives." Yosuya said.

Ironically, Ryou disappeared the next day.

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By the time Hanekuro got home, it was dark out and pretty late. He opened the door to his house and walked in with Ryudamon following behind him. He didn't bother to tell his father he was home because he knew he was still at work. He went up the stairs and went into his room.

"Something wrong Master?" Ryudamon asked after he saw Hanekuro fall onto his bed.

"I don't know." Hanekuro answered. He sat up and ran a hand through his black hair. "It just seems weird having Mom back. I mean, I know she isn't living here, but it's still weird. I haven't seen her since she visited when I was thirteen."

"Master, may I ask why your mother and father had a divorce?" Ryudamon asked. "It was the disappearance of Sir Ryou, wasn't it?"

"Yeah it was. After Ryou disappeared my mom and dad began fighting a lot. One thing lead to another and then the next thing I know my father is divorcing my mother and I hardly get to see her again. They've been separated since I was seven." Hanekuro answered. He lay back down on the bed with a sigh.

"Aren't you happy to see her again?" Ryudamon asked.

"I am, but I wish she would fill me in on where she's been." Hanekuro answered. "I've hardly ever seen her except for the few times she would suddenly pop by. I wish my family wasn't so broken up." He threw his arms up in frustration and sadness and his left arm landed and hung off the side of the bed.

"I'm sorry Master. I hope someday your family will be repaired." Ryudamon said as he put his head under Hanekuro's hand and lied down next to the bed. Hanekuro pet Ryudamon's armor covered head before he slowly fell asleep, still thinking of his younger brother and his mother.

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Hanekuro woke up with a yawn and looked at the clock. He rolled back over and sighed. 'I'm to tired to go to school.' He thought with a yawn. He looked over when his father opened the door.

"Come on Hanekuro, it's time for you to go to school." He said sternly.

"Why? I have all A's and they don't care about absences as long as you pass the classes." Hanekuro said before turning back over.

"I'm serious Hanekuro. Get up." His father said.

"Fine." Hanekuro grunted. He stood up and yawned again. He bent over and nudged Ryudamon. "Come on man, time to get up."

"Must I get up Master?" Ryudamopn asked with a yawn.

"Yep, we're being kicked out." Hanekuro said.

"I don't want to step out of line Master, but maybe you should go to school." Ryudamon said as he rubbed his eye.

"If you don't want to step out of line, then don't bug me about my school work. I'm passing and that's good enough." Hanekuro said with a disdainful voice.

"I'm sorry Master. I didn't mean to offend." Ryudamon said.

"You didn't offend me, I just don't like school." Hanekuro said. "Wait here, I'll sneak you out the window and then we can go hang out somewhere." He said before leaving the room.

Ryudamon sighed. "I wish I could help you out more Master. You seem to be hurt in a way I can't reach you. I will protect you from physical harm, but you are scarred in a place where only your family can heal. I truly wish I could reunite your family."

He went over and curled up in front of the mirror and hopped his master would take his time so that he could get some extra sleep. His thoughts continued to stray on the subject of his master's life. "Why do you dislike school so much? Is it because it's so boring for you? And why do you stay away from people beside Loaño and Kaya? Are you afraid of opening up to people? And, what of our relationship? Is it just that of Master and servant, or are we 'friends'?"

He silently pondered these thoughts until he heard a knock at the window. He stood up and undid the latches. "Ready to go?" Hanekuro asked.

"Yes Master." Ryudamon answered with a nod. Hanekuro climbed down the tree that was near his window and Ryudamon jumped down from the branch to a lower one, and then to the ground. "Where are we going, Master?"

"I don't know. Let's just go for a walk or something." Hanekuro answered with a shrug.

"Yes Master." Ryudamon answered.

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"What's happening to me!?" he shouted in pain. His heart began beating faster and faster. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his stomach. "What is this feeling?" he gasped in pain.

"Well, well it seems I was right." A figure said from within the shadows of the tree. "It really is here, and even digimon of the light are effected by the Drakness." The figure was wearing rust colored robes and his face was completely wrapped in rust colored cloth. He might have passed for a human, if it weren't for the folded up bat wings on his back, and his wrapped up hands that looked suspiciously like claws.

"Conducting another experiment, Daemon?" a woman asked. She had an extravagant purple dress with a lot of yellow edging on it. Her hair was black and her eyes were an intelligent purple. She had a gold tiara on her head and a golden glove on her right hand. She too would have passed as a human, if it weren't for eight large batwings on her back.

"Of course, my dear Lilithmon. I decided to come in person to witness what would happen." Daemon answered with an unseen smile.

"What's happening to him?" Lilithmon asked with a curious smile.

"See for your self." Daemon said as he moved to the side. Lilithmon smilled when she saw the hunched over digimon become covered in dark energy. He let out one more roar of pain before reforming as a large man covered in shiny black armor with eyes on the knees, boots, shoulders and a large one on his chest. He had long blonde hair and his hands were covered in his armor, which looked like two demon mouths.

"Duskmon. How delightful." Lilithmon said with a smile. "It seems even light digimon can be stained by the Darkness that lies here."

"The only question left is, how do we get at it?" Daemon asked as he watched Duskmon give a cry of pain and rush forward into the forest.

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The two of them walked down the sidewalks of the city for a while. Neither of them said much and they just enjoyed the overall quiet. There were people and cars walking around but they had learned to block them out a while ago. They ignored the looks they got from a few people and a few calls of "Shouldn't you be in school?"

'Why should I go to school? I know the stuff already so what's the point. I just want to hang out and do my own thing.' He thought. He looked over as they were passing the park and suddenly had an urge to walk in. 'Why not? There probably won't be a digimon. And if there is, then oh well for it then.'

"Master, we shouldn't enter the park. It's very dangerous." Ryudamon said warningly.

"Relax Ryudamon. There won't be a digimon." Hanekuro answered.

"Are you sure Master? So far we have been lucky enough to come across low-level digimon but higher leveled ones have been appearing recently. We should avoid the park." Ryudamon cautioned.

"Well I don't care. We're going and it's an order." Hanekuro said.

"Yes Master." Ryudamon said loyally. He followed Hanekuro into the park, but kept an eye open for anything dangerous or suspicious. He would never forgive himself if any harm came to Hanekuro. He was his servant and protector, even if it meant sacrificing his own life to protect his master.

"You're being paranoid." Hanekuro said when he saw Ryudamon's eyes darting around. Although he wouldn't admit it, he really enjoyed Ryudamon's loyalty. He knew that he could always tell his 'servant' as Ryudamon called himself anything. He knew full well how protective Ryudamon was and how much he owed to him for helping him to fight.

"I just want to protect you Master." Ryudamon replied.

"Yeah, yeah I know." He replied.

"Master!" Ryudamon yelled as he knocked Hanekuro down to the ground. They both rolled on the ground and Hanekuro glared at Ryudamon.

"What the hell was that for!?" he yelled in anger and pain. Ryudamon stood up and pointed to a large burn mark in a tree. "My head was there five seconds ago wasn't it?" Hanekuro asked.

"Yes Master now tell, what was that about the par being safe?" Ryudamon asked. Hanekuro was about to answer but he was cut off by a roar. They two of them turned to see Duskmon running at them with incredible speed. "Dragon's Katan!" Ryudamon yelled as he jumped forward and drew his katana. Duskmon unsheathed a crimson sword from his dragon mouth hand and blocked Ryudamon's katana and pushed him back to the ground.

"Eroberung (Conquest)!" Duskmon roared as he raised his two blades. The two blades left crimson red light in the air and when he finished they formed a crimson moon that he broke through and hit Ryudamon and slammed him into the ground. Ryudamon got up weakly and raised his katana. "Geist Abend (Ghost Evening)!" he yelled as red lights shot from his eyes and shot towards Hanekuro.

Hanekuro jumped out of the way but tripped and fell on the ground when one of the lasers scrapped his knee. Hanekuro looked up and gasped when he saw Duskmon looming over him. He raised a blade and thrust it towards Hanekuro.

"Samurai Helm!" Ryudamon yelled as he charged into Duskmon and knocked him down. Duskmon snarled as he got up and glared at Ryudamon.

"Are you alright Ryudamon?" Hanekuro asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright Master. Don't worry about me." Ryudamon said with a weak smile.

"Ryudamon, get out of here. Don't worry about me, just run." Hanekuro said.

"No way. I can't do that." Ryudamon said.

"It's an order Ryudamon." Hanekuro said seriously.

"I don't care. I'm sorry Master, but it's an order I refuse to follow." Ryudamon said as he collapsed into Hanekuro's arms.

Duskmon walked towards them and raised his sword his above his head. He planned on taking them both down with one sword strike. He grinned behind his facemask and swung the blade down but it was stopped. Hanekuro grabbed the blade as a blue digisoul covered his body.

"I'm no letting you hurt my friend!" he yelled as he pushed the blade back.

"Ryudamon shinka, GinRyumon!" he roared as he was engulfed in a bright light. When it disappeared it revealed a larger dragon that stood on all fours and was covered in armor scales. He drew a katana from it's sheath. "I won't allow you to harm my Master anymore! Armor Piercing Blade!" he roared as he zoomed forward and slashed his katana into Duskmon.

Duskmon reared back in pain and roared as he swung his own blades forward. "Eroberung!" he cried as his blades began glowing crimson red and they struck GinRyumon's armor.

"Nice try, but it will take more than that." GinRyumon said with a smirk. "Battle Rod Breaker!" he roared as he pushed Duskmon back. His tail glowed brightly as he turned around and hit Duskmon in his gut. The strength of the hit sent Duskmon flying back and out of sight. "Are you alright Master?" he asked as he turned to Hanekuro and reverted to Ryudamon.

Hanekuro nodded and said "Yes. Thank you Ryudamon for helping me."

"It was not a problem Master. Um, may I ask a question?" Ryudamon asked shyly.

"Yeah, of course." Hanekuro answered.

"Master, are we friends?" Ryudamon asked.

"Of course we are Ryudamon." Hanekuro said as he hugged his friend.

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Masurao stepped out of the convenient store and looked up when he felt raindrops. "Crap, it's raining." He muttered. "Oh well, at least it's not to heavy." He started walking down the sidewalk with two bags of groceries in his hands. He sighed out of boredom and that gloomy feeling a lot of people get when it rains.

He looked over when he heard a light scratching noise. He looked around him but couldn't find anything. He continued walking but stopped when he heard it again. "I don't have time for this." he muttered. He looked over when he heard a weak whining noise and dropped the grocery bags in surprise when he saw what made the noise.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything but the story

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything but the story.

Chapter 11: Emissary of the Royal Knights.

Masuro skillfully snuck into his house silently and managed to shut the door without making a sound. He grimaced as the unconscious figure he was carrying in his arms shifted positions and a claw poked him in the chest. He bit down on the plastic grocery bag he had in his mouth and hurried through the house and to his room and still managed to make sure the precariously perched umbrella in his arm didn't fall and alert his parents.

He quickly walked over to his bed and put the small monster onto his bed as gently as he could. He sighed in relief as he closed the umbrella and set the grocery bag down. He massaged his tired arms and jaw and sat down as he tried to think for what to do. He was in such deep concentration that he nearly yelled when he heard a knock at his door.

"Are you in there, Masurao?" his mother asked.

He quickly jumped up and opened the door just enough to poke his head out. He didn't know how either of his parents would react to seeing an unconscious digimon, but he knew he didn't ant to see either. "Yeah I'm home."

"Where are the groceries?" his mother asked. Masurao quickly shut his door and locked it. He ran over and grabbed the bag, unlocked the door, opened it, and handed his mother the groceries in no less than three seconds.

"Why did you bring them into your room?" she asked. That radar that parents always seem to have that tells them there children are doing something bad was starting to warn her of something.

"I had to charge my ipod. It was almost dead." Masurao lied quickly. His mother looked at him before accepting the excuse and walking away. Masuro sighed and closed the door. He looked over at the small monster on his bed who looked like he was sleeping peacefully rather than knocked out cold. "What was I thinking?" he muttered to himself.

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A few minutes before:

Masuro looked around for the source of the whimpering. He gasped and dropped the groceries and umbrella when he saw a curled up monster in a small alley between two of the buildings.

From the waist up, the monster was covered in gray fur, with the exception of black gloves on his hands that had black claws poking out of them if you looked closely enough to see the slight difference. From the waist down he was wearing white pants that had gray armor covering the knees, lower legs, and feet. Around his neck was a black scarf, but it was almost completely untied and was wet from the rain.

Masuroa looked at the small dog-like digimon with concern. 'No, that's insane. I can't bring this little guy home. He's probably a bad digimon, like the ones Haseo told me about. He could be dangerous…or bloodthirsty…or…oh crap.' He thought. 'I can't believe I'm going to do this.'

He set the bag down and set the umbrella into the nook of his arm. He bent over and picked up the monster with a small grunt. Despite his thin and athletic look, the digimon was fairly heavy. He tried to bend over and pick up the bag but almost dropped the digimon. He shifted the digimon and the umbrella so it was still covering them and squatted down so he could grab the bag in his mouth. Luckily there wasn't anything to heavy in it. He sighed as he began the walk home.

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"I knew I would regret this." Masurao sighed. "Man, I don't even know if he's hurt or not. What am I going to do?" he pondered it a bit more and realized he couldn't do this on his own. He left his room and used his key to lock it. "Hey Mom?" he asked when he went into the living room.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Do you mind if I invite some friends over?" he asked.

"Sure, but how many?" she asked. Last time she said it was alright, ten people ended up coming over.

"Tw, er four." He said thinking about the digimon. "Please? I promise we'll stay in my room."

"Alright, but don't make too much noise." She said.

"Thanks." He said quickly. He searched around a bit and found a phone book. He grabbed the phone from the receiver and found Celena's number in the book. He dialed it in and waited anxiously. Haseo sounded like the best person to call in this situation and Celena would probably come over too if a digimon was involved. He just hoped that they would be able to help in some way, and that his parents didn't see their house full of digimon.

"I'm so going to be dead by the end of the night." He muttered.

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Celena smiled as she watched Adam polish his egg with great care. She still couldn't believe how responsible her brother was being about the egg. He spent every minute with it and wouldn't go outside in fear that it would break or get lost. He was being a little overprotective, but also very responsible.

"How much longer until it hatches Haseo?" Adam asked for the third time that hour. He was also starting to be impatient, Celena noted.

"I have told you Adam, I do not know when your digitama will hatch." Haseo said and quickly added "Nor do I know what it will hatch into." When he saw Adam open his mouth to ask whom his partner will be.

"Well I can't wait until you do hatch. I wonder who you are." Adam said to his egg.

Celena stood up when she heard the phone and walked into the hallway where it was sitting on a table. She looked at the caller id but didn't recognize the number. "Hello, Kurosaki residence." She answered.

"Is that you Celena?" a familiar voice asked.

"Yes, but who are you?" Celena asked wearily.

"I'm Masurao. We've talked a bit at school before." He answered.

Celena thought about it and glared at nothing in particular. "Yeah I remember you. You're that guy that hit on me all last week. For the last time, I'm not impressed by your stupid lines and I don't want a date. If you call here again, I'll report you to the police as a stalker."

"Wait no! I didn't call here to ask you out!" he yelled quickly.

"Why did you call then?" Celena asked curiously.

"I need help. I need you and Haseo to come over and bring your 'friends'" Masuro replied. He gave Celena the directions to his house from the convenient store he had just been at and told them to hurry. Celena recorded the few directions as quickly as she could and hung up.

"Haseo, Dorumon, Lunamon! We need to go!" she called through the house.

"But what about Adam? He cannot be here on his own." Haseo said.

"I'm going to call Raimundo to baby-sit." She answered. She walked back into the room and called her friend. After Rai, Jasper, and their partners got there Celena and the others left. The quickly went to the small store and followed the directions.

"I;m glad the rain stopped. I hate getting wet." Dorumon said as Celena looked for the right address.

"Indeed. It seems Masurao timed his call quite well." Haseo said.

"How did he know to call us?" Celena asked. "And who does he know about the recent digimon events. The digimon aren't exactly secret but I don't think the recent events are known to the public."

"Oh, I um…" Haseo muttered. "I may have said one or two digimon related events to Masurao."

"Haseo!" Celena and Lunamon yelled.

"Hey! Don't yell at Otouto! We never agreed to make this all a secret so you have no right to yell at him!" Dorumon shouted angrily.

"Alright, alright, calm down." Celena said as she put her arms up to show her surrender.

"Calm down Dorumon." Lunamon said.

"Hey, here's the house." Celena pointed out. The group walked to the door and rang the doorbell. Within seconds Masurao answered and dragged the four into the house and into his room. "What's with the rushing?" Celena asked.

"I don't want my parents to know I invited two digimon in here. They don't exactly trust digimon, y'know?" Masuroa whispered.

"No." Haseo answered in confusion.

"Oh come on, you weren't a little scared when you saw your first digimon?" Celena asked.

"Not at all. I've spent almost all of my life around digimon." Haseo answered.

"Um, guys." Lunamon said. She pointed to the sleeping wolf digimon on the bed and asked, "Who's that?"

"I found him when I was coming home from picking up a few things from the store. He was curled up in an alley and he looked like he was hurt so I managed to bring him here. But you guys have to be quiet, my parents don't know he's here or that two of the people I invited over are actually digimon." Masurao explained frantically.

"Why'd you call us?" Celena asked.

"I don't know. Haseo seems to know a bit about digimon and I was panicking." Masurao answered. "You can help, right Haseo?"

"I do not know. I do not know very much about Light attribute digimon. It would be much easier if he was a Dark or Virus attribute I might be able to do more." Haseo replied as he looked at the sleeping digimon.

"You lost me at light. What is he, a lightbulb?" Masurao asked sarcastically.

"Allow me to explain." Haseo said as he grabbed a notebook and pencil. He quickly drew a triangle that pointed to a square. The square pointed to a circle and the circle pointed back to the triangle. "Digimon have three main attributes. Data represented by the square, Vaccine the circle, and Virus the triangle."

Masurao and Celena both nodded their heads in understanding and Haseo continued. "Under those three types are elements. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Dark. Most digimon can be classified into the categories by how they fight and where they live."

"Like a video game. Some skills you use have element powers attached that altar the damage." Masurao said.

"That is one way of putting it. Under the elements are several other categories that divide digimon into even more families. Some are Virus Busters, Nightmare Soldiers, and Exalted Knight but there are many more. I have been around many Virus types with Dark attributes but I have never seen many Light attribute digimon." Haseo concluded. "But I will do the best I am capable of."

"Thanks Haseo." Masurao said. Haseo nodded and began examining the digimon. He only had a few small injuries on him and nothing vital was damaged. He paused after a few minutes and stared at the digimon.

"What's wrong?" Lunamon asked.

"The main injury seems to have been delivered by a blunt object to his stomach. He has a few scratches here and there but otherwise he is alright." Haseo replied. "But there's something else."

"What is it?" Dorumon asked.

"I believe he recently dark digivolved." Haseo answered grimly.

"What? You mean what that lion guy did when he hurt you two?" Masurao asked.

"Yeah, that's dark digivolving alright." Celena answered.

"We will have to wait until he recovers and wakes up. Then maybe he will be able to recount his recent events." Haseo said. Everyone looked up when they heard Celena's phone ring. She took it out and cursed under her breath.

"Hi Lo." Celena said. "I know I was supposed to go over and practice but something came up. Yes, it is important. It has something to do with the digimon. We found a digimon that just dark digivolved and he was injured in a fight. No I'm not lying! Yes, I promise to show up tomorrow and fill everyone in." she closed her phone and noticed everyone looking at the digimon. "He woke up?" she asked.

"Your shout woke him up." Haseo whispered. The digimon stared at all of them in turn with bright red and fearful eyes. "Do not worry. We do not have any intentions of hurting you." Haseo said calmly. The digimon continued staring at them.

Finally he quietly said, "I want them out." as he pointed at Masurao and Celena.

"Very well. Celena and Masurao, please leave the room." Haseo said calmly.

"Why? I saved this guy." Masuroa said quietly but angrily. The digimon winced at Masurao's anger and looked fearfully at him and Celena. Masurao sighed and said "Fine." Celena gave the digimon a worried look before following Masurao out of the room.

"How do you feel?" Haseo asked.

"I'm tired and my stomach hurts but other than that I think I'm alright." The digimon answered.

"My name is Haseo, this is Lunamon, and that is Dorumon. What is your name?" Haseo asked.

"Strabimon."

"Do you remember what happened Strabimon?" Lunamon asked.

"I remember coming to the human world on an important mission but then I was attacked. After that, I can't remember anything." Strabimon answered.

"What is your mission?" Dorumon asked.

"I was sent here by the Royal Knights to help with the digimon. It is not a normal occurrence and they have received information from the leader of Tsukikuro that said the Demon Lords are behind it." Strabimon answered.

"There's something else." Haseo said. "You can tell us. Ryu-nisan and I work for the Tsukikuro organization."

"I did not wish to be sent here." Strabimon said quietly. "The Royal Knights don't know but I am terrified of humans."

"Well then why didn't you ask for Haseo to leave?" Lunamon asked.

"I don't know. He seems different from the others." Strabimon answered.

"Well you need a place to stay. Maybe you could stay with us." Dorumon suggested. "The three of us live with the red haired girl and her family. They're really nice and I don't know if you should stay here. Apparently Masurao's parents don't trust digimon."

"I guess I could." Strabimon said.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the story concept and most of the characters

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the story concept and most of the characters.

This chapter comes to you courtesy of DtecnoKira and Twilidramon. Both of them helped me to get the concept of this chapter so thanks a lot you two!

Chapter 12: A Perfect Plan

"Are we all here?" Lucemon asked from the head of the table. He looked like a very strong young man with blonde hair wearing thin, tight clothes. The right half was pure white and he had five angel wings, and the left was pure black with five demon wings.

"Yeah, finally." Beelzemon said impateintly. He looked like a tough biker with a silver metal tail and spiky light blonde hair. At his side were two double-barrel handguns and a purple mask covered the top half of his face. In the middle of the mask over his forehead was a third eye. "Seriously, why are you always so late Belphemon?"

"Not my fault I over slept." Belphemon answered. He was a large monster that stood a head above Lucemon and Beelzemon. He had chains wrapped around golden gauntlets on his claws. The fur on his body was a dark brown, almost black, and his eyes were a pure glowing blood red. On his back were eight demon wings. "Why did you make this meeting room so small anyway? I hate having to shrink down."

"Because I hate having to make myself bigger and I'm the boss." Lucemon snapped. "It's not my fault you and Leviamon are super sized."

"Hey, that's size discrimination." Leviamon complained. Leviamon was a large orange crocodile with blue spines going from his nose to the tip of his tail. His eyes were deep red and normally he was the largest of the Demon Lords.

"Yeah well, maybe it is. Oh well." Lucemon said with a bored tone. "So Daemon, what did you want to tell us? Now that we are all here." He said with a glare at Belphemon.

"I have discovered where the item is." Daemon said, using the word item to keep all of you readers guessing. The room was silent for a minute while all of the other Demon Lords beside Lilithmon looked at him.

Finally Beelzemon asked. "You found it? Where? We've scoured the digital world to find it and all of our leads came up empty. Where did you find it?"

Daemon stared at all of his colleagues. Even Lucemon, their normally cool tempered leader, was staring at him in apprehension. "That, my friends, was the problem the whole time. We assumed that the item was hidden in the digital world, but in reality it was hidden in the human world."

"Recently, I have been sending a few of my subordinates to the human world. I noted that they always came out in one remote area. A park located in a city in Japan. It raised my suspicions but I decided to wait and see what happened. My suspicions were raised further when a digimon dark digivolved. In fact, two of them did." Daemon continued.

"After this, it appeared that the Royal Knights realized that there was something wrong with the area. So they sent an emissary. However, on it's way here I intercepted it my self and forced it to digivolve in that area. The result was a dark digivolution." Daemon concluded. "I would estimate an eighty percent chance of the item being there."

"I never thought of the human wolrd. I assumed he hid it with one of his subordinates." Barbamon said. Barbamon looked like an old man with a very large and long beard. He was dressed in blood red robes and a wooden staff was in his right hand. "I apologize Beelzemon, but it seems out attack on HiAndromon was for nothing."

"No problem for me. I liked fighting that loser." Beelzemon said with a smirk. "So boss man, what's our next move?"

Lucemon sat back in his chair and pondered it for a few minutes. "We need some form of verification. However, the fact the Daemon went to the human world was very irresponsible. If the Royal Knights had found out, we could have faced a few complications."

"I apologize Sir, but it was something I had to do." Daemon said.

"I have a suggestion." Barbamon said. "We have one option but it is fairly simple. The plan is to trick the humans into discovering it for us and then sending an army to steal it, and I know exactly how we can do that. I have a nice little loophole in mind."

"What loophole?" Belphemon asked.

"You see, the Royal Knights will only intervene if a strong high power Mega level like us goes through the gate. So one of us just needs to get weaker." Barbamon said. "He needs to be beaten down so much that he reverts to a weaker state so he can go there and start pulling a few strings."

"Who do you have in mind?" Belphemon asked.

Everyone turned to him and smiled.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Hi Jasper, hi Lockheed." Adam greeted when he opened the door.

"Hi Adam." Jasper greeted. "Do you want to go to the arcade that just opened up down the street?" he asked hopefully.

"I don't know." Adam said as he looked down at the egg in his arms.

"Man, it's a good thing that our school has been having electrical problems. Otherwise, you would never come until that egg hatched." Jasper joked.

"Yuppers! He's just like a mom." Lockheed agreed.

"Please come Adam? It's the opening day and I heard there are a lot of cool games there." Jasper pleaded.

"Hold on." Adam said before withdrawing back into the house. He walked upstairs to Haseo's room and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Haseo's voice asked from behind the door.

"I need a favor." Adam said. Haseo opened the door to his room. Inside was a bookshelf in front of one of the walls with half of the rows covered in big chapter books and the other half covered in manga. Sitting on the bed were Dorumon and a worried looking Strabimon. Next to the bed was a small desk with all sorts of papers, notebooks, and drawing utensils strewn across it and a rolling chair in front of it.

"How may I be of service?" Haseo asked.

"I really want to go to a new arcade that opened up down the road, but I don't want to bring my egg with me. I don't want it getting stolen or hurt or anything bad like that. I was wondering if you guys could watch it for just a little bit. I know it might sound wrong to dump my future partner on you guys, but I haven't played with Jasper or Lockheed in quiet a while." Adam explained.

"I understand Adam. Ryu-nisan, Strabimon, and I shall watch over your egg." Haseo said as he took the egg with care. "It shall not be harmed while in our presence."

"Thanks Haseo!" Adam yelled before rushing downstairs. Adam flung the door opened and ran out to Jasper and Lockheed. "I'm ready to go guys. I got Haseo to watch the egg for me."

"Good." Jasper said with relief. "I know that you care about your egg and all but I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yuppers! You've been really wrapped up in that egg business." Lockheed agreed.

"Well I know, but I want to make sure nothing happens to it. It's my future partner after all." Adam said.

"I know but don't you think you're taking things a little to far? I mean you're with it almost twenty-four seven." Jasper said.

"So I'm protective, big deal." Adam snapped.

"Never mind Adam. Just remember that some children in nature, eat their care givers and homes. Baby wasp larvae slowly eat the insect that carries them around." Jasper warned. Adam glared at his friend and was about to say something when Jasper cut him off. "Look at that crowd!" he yelled. Adam looked over and saw that a lot of kids and teens had also decided to check out the new arcade.

"Wow." Lockheed said. "Yuppers! That sure is a lot."

"Hiya kids!" a large bear yelled as it jumped in front of them. Several parts of the costume seemed to be sown together where it had torn and a large heart picture on his stomach had a hose that lead to a gas mask on it's face. "Are you here for the big opening?" he asked.

"We sure are." Adam said excitedly.

"Well then here you go!" the bear exclaimed as he twirled around and had three balloons in his hand. He handed a purple one to Jasper, and yellow one to Adam, and a blue one to Lockheed. "Have fun in there. Don't be afraid to spend your allowance." The bear said as he moved out of the way and let them into the arcade.

The arcade was a large room filled with several games ranging from dancing, to shooting, to fighting, to classics, and to the newest titles. Adam, Jasper and Lockheed tied their balloons loosely to their wrists so they wouldn't float off and then cashed in their combined money for a lot of tokens.

The group rushed to play the games. Adam, Jasper, and Lockheed continued playing games as the hours flew by. They met a few friends from school and played all sorts of games in groups and solo.

"Hey!" Jasper yelled when Lockheed accidentally popped Jaspers balloon. Lockheed had just lost another round on the fighting game and jumped up and down in anger. One of the horns on his head hit the balloon and popped it. "Lockheed, what did you do that for?" Jasper complained.

"Sorry Jas, it was an accident." Lockheed insisted. "I just hate losing."

"Come on guys, it's getting dark. Let's cash in the tickets we won from the other games and get some prizes." Adam said.

"Alright." Jasper said. The small grouped walked up to the counter and waited for someone to come.

"Well hello there boys. What can I do for you?" a kind brown haired man asked. He was wearing the same outfit as the rest of the employees as well as a brown hat with a strange symbol on the front..

"We're looking for some prizes." Adam answered.

"Really? You're looking for prizes at the prize exchange? Imagine that." The man said in good-natured sarcasm. "You know, I think I saw something around here earlier that would be perfect for you." He said as he pointed at Jasper. He turned and looked around the wall and muttered to himself about the location of the prize.

"That!" Jasper yelled as he pointed to a small necklace hanging on a hook in the wall. The string was silver thread that looked like it would fit perfectly on Jasper. The gem was a small purple square on top of a blue diamond shape. It was a very good false necklace, because the blue plastic sparkled just like a real diamond would.

"There it is." The man said as he got it down. "500 tickets please."

"I don't know." Adam said as he eyed a pair of glow in the dark vampire teeth.

"Please Adam." Jasper begged. "Can we please get it, please? I promise you can have all the tickets next time we come here. And I'll pay you back too, but can we please get it? I don't know why, but I really need that necklace."

"Alright, just calm down. You look like you're about to wet yourself." Adam said. He turned to the man and said, "We'll take the necklace."

"I thought you would." The man said as he handed it to Jasper. Jasper looked at it, with Lockheed looking over his shoulder.

"Are you alright guys?" Adam asked.

"Huh?" Jasper asked and looked at Adam as if he had forgotten he was there. "Oh, yeah. Thanks a lot for this Adam. I owe you one." He said as he put the necklace on.

"No problem." Adam said but was cut off by a scream. The three of them looked over at the group of people still at the arcade. The balloons that everyone had were starting to increase in size. As they expanded, they sucked up the person they were attached to. Jasper looked back to Adam as his balloon enlarged and grabbed him as well.

Lockheed was also sucked up but he wouldn't stay restrained. "Baby Breath!" he cried as he shot a fireball at the prison and blew it up.

"Are you alright?" Jasper asked.

"Yuppers, but they aren't." Lockheed said frantically. He aimed for Adam's balloon and cried "Baby Breath!" as he fired another fireball. However this time, it bounced off of the balloon and went flying in the opposite direction, narrowly missing Jasper. "It's a good thing I blew up your balloon." He said worriedly.

The door to the arcade opened as the bear from earlier walked in. The doors shut behind him and were wrapped up by silver chains with a dark green energy around them. "Hiya kids! I sure hope you enjoyed your playtime! I wouldn't want your last minutes of life to be sad!"

"Who are you?" Jasper yelled. "You're no mascot, that's for sure."

"You're right, I'm not!" the bear yelled as a dark energy surrounded him. He grew taller until his head was just under the ceiling. The seams on his paws ripped as silver needles stuck out of them and two small but sharp horns stuck out between his ears. "I'm Pokyupamon!" he roared triumphantly.

"What do you want with these people! Let them go!" Lockheed yelled.

"Make me!" Pokyupamon roared.

"Baby Flame!" Lockheed yelled as he shot a fireball at Pokyupamon. It hit the bear's stomach but didn't even leave a singe mark.

"My turn!" the large bear roared. "Slap and Rip!" he roared as he swung a paw down and hit Lockhed up into the air. The silver needles extended on his other arm before he slashed it down across Lockheed, and sent him plummeting to the ground. He landed with a loud thud.

"Lockheed!" Jasper yelled in distress.

"I'm not done yet." Lockheed gasped as he rose from the ground.

"I'll change that. Madness Brooch!" Pokyupamon cried as he struck the ground where Lockheed was and trapped him in the needles he left in the ground.

"No!" Jasper yelled. "Please, stop hurting my friend!" he begged.

"Why should I?" Pokyupamon asked. "Tell me why I should spare this miserable excuse for a digimon and let your friends go."

"Because he's my friend!" Jasper yelled. His body was suddenly covered in a shining purple light. The light focused around the blue crystal on his necklace and it began shining. The transparent plastic casing burst open to reveal a pure blue diamond.

"Dracomon shinka, Coredramon Blue!" Lockheed cried. Lockheed grew much taller. His scales became tougher, his horns sharper, his claws more menacing, and his teeth extended. He spread out his wings and roared as he threw the spikes off of him. "Yuppers, I'm ready for another round!"

"I'm ready to help. Coredramon, hit the lights!" Jasper yelled. Coredramon followed the order and blasted the lights as he shot blue fire from his mouth. The room was covered in darkness.

"Where are you?" Pokyupamon asked angrily.

"Fire from 45 degrees!" Jasper commanded.

"Blue Flare Breath!" Lockheed roared as he shot a blue flame at Pokyupamon. The bear roared as he was pushed back by the fire.

"Fly!" Jasper commanded. "Now attack from a 180 degree angle!"

"Blue Flare Breath!" Lockheed roared. Pokyupamon roared as he felt fire strike his legs.

"Where are you!? Where!?" Pokyupamon roared in pain and anger. He began wildly slashing everywhere in a vain attempt to strike Coredramon. Finally he connected with something. "I've got you! Madness Brooch!" he roared as he extended his claws and struck forward. He roared in pain as the exposed electrical wiring electrocuted him.

He fell down with a thud and shrunk back down to size as the back-up generator turned on and lit up the room with the undamaged lights and games. Pokyupamon stared in shock when he saw Coredramon hadn't moved at all. "But he said you were flying."

"Exactly, but I also whispered for him to ignore that command. We never moved the whole time. Every attack was calculated right from the beginning when we hit down the lights." Jasper explained. "We tricked you into electrocuting yourself with those metal spikes of yours."

"Damn you punk." Pokyupamon grunted.

"Let our friends go or else." Coredramon threatened.

"Fine." The bear said as he shot small needles and popped all of the balloons. Jasper and Lockheed both ran over to Adam.

"Are you alright?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah. I think so." Adam said.

"Never look away from an enemy!" Pokyupamon roared as he jumped up and aimed for Lockheed's neck. He ducked away but the spike narrowly touched his neck. Lockheed's pupils dilated and his horns and claws began glowing red.

"Gekirin Shurunen 2!" he roared as he began launching lasers all over Pokyupamon. The bear roared in pain as more lasers blasted into him. Lockheed turned and roared as he shot lasers all over the room.

"Calm down Lockheed!" Jasper yelled. "Calm down." He said sternly as Lockheed stared down at him. He glowed red before turning back into Dracomon. "What happened?" he asked.

"Pokyupamon touched your gekirin." Jasper answered. "And I think he got away too."

"Great, now let's go before anyone else wakes up and sees what we just did.' Adam said hurriedly as he pulled his friends out of the now unlocked door.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

"Ow." Belphemon grunted as he limped into his room. "That stupid dragon. I can't believe he managed to do this much to me! If I had been able to be in this form, they would be hanging from the main rooms mantle by now." He flopped onto his bed with a sigh. "Ahhhh, it's good to be lazy."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Wow! I did not mean for this chapter to be so big! This is probably the biggest chapter I've ever written!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 13:

"Come on guys, you suck!" Masurao yelled at his two friends. He and a small group of his friends were playing soccer in the park and Masurao's team was currently loosing very badly. Needless to say, he was not taking it well. "You guys play like girls!"

"No, you wish they were playing as well as me!" one of his friends on the other team yelled.

"Shut up!" Masurao snapped. "Come on already, let's go!"

"Alright, alright, keep your pants on." His friend said. She kicked the ball away from the goal and towards one of her teammates. He got the ball and began running down the field with it and weaved between Masurao's team. He aimed a kick for the goal and kicked the ball forward.

Masurao jumped in front of the ball and he hit it away with his hand. "Take that!" he yelled. His friend glared at him and managed to hit the ball while it was still in the air back at Masurao. The ball sped forward and slammed into his left shin. He fell with grunt and held his leg. "You hit me you son of a,"

"Hey! Come on Masurao, he didn't mean to. I honestly don't know why we agree to play sports with you around. You get way too competitive." The other goalie and team leader shouted.

"Oh shut up." Masurao grumbled as he limped over to the sidelines and sat on the bench next to his friend's younger sister. He gently felt his leg's new bruise and grimaced. "I can't play with a bum leg. Sorry guys."

"It's alright, I need to go home anyway." The other team leader said. She walked away and the game resumed as a two-on-two. Masurao watched with disinterest and wished he could still be playing. He looked over and noticed his friend's sister. She only seemed to be a year younger than him, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' He thought.

"Hey." He said to the girl.

"Hi." She replied but otherwise didn't look at him.

"You know, if I could rearrange the alphabet, I would put U and I together." Masurao said in his 'pick-up line' voice.

"Why? N and O already are." She replied coldly.

"Where have you been all my life?" Masurao tried again.

"Hiding from you." She replied in contempt for Masurao's horrible lines. Masurao frowned when he was shot down again and looked away as he thought of something to say. He pondered his options but then realized something.

"So, what do you think of digimon?" he asked.

"I like them. Most of them are pretty cute. I wouldn't mind meeting one." She answered.

"Well lucky for you, I know a few." Masurao said. "I could introduce you to them."

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Yep." He answered.

She looked at Masurao and thought about it for a few seconds. "Alright, but let me be perfectly clear. This is not a date, nor is it a chance for you to get a chance with me. If you ask me again or use a lame pick up line, I will break your wrist. Do you understand?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll let you ask me." Masurao said with a smile. He stood up and waved to his friends. He leaned against his new friend and she grudgingly helped him. "So what's your name?" he asked.

"Odoriko." She answered. "And I already know you. You're my older brother's friend who always hits on girls."

"That is not true." Masurao denied. "I only hit on pretty girls."

"Just shut up and lead the way." She replied.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"Where'd Adam go?" Celena asked when she opened the door to Haseo's room. Lunamon floated next to her with a small smile on her face.

"He left with Jasper earlier. He went to an arcade." Haseo answered.

"What is an arcade?" Dorumon asked.

"A big place with a bunch of video games that people can play." Celena answered. "So Adam actually left the house with out his little egg? Impressive."

"Indeed. He left the egg in our care." Haseo answered as he motioned to the egg resting on his bed. Strabimon was sitting next to it and looked away from Celena when she looked over at him and the egg.

"How are you doing Strabimon?" she asked.

"Fine." Was his quick response. He grabbed the large egg and seemed to try to protect it from Celena without her noticing. She frowned when she noticed his odd behavior and decided to try to get him to open up. She walked over and sat on the bed and Strabimon cringed away from her.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Celena assured him.

"Yeah. Celena's nice." Lunamon added.

"Stay away." Strabimon whimpered.

"Come on. You'll be with Haseo, so why not me?" Celena asked.

"Haseo is different. I don't know how, but he doesn't seem like a normal human." Strabimon said. Celena frowned and looked up at Haseo who was sitting at his desk and drawing something. She stood up and leaned over his shoulder, but he covered the picture up with his body.

"May I ask you to not peer over my shoulder? I would prefer this work to be a surprise until it has been completed." Haseo said politely, but in a tone that said 'Back off.' Celena frowned but stepped away from the desk. She looked to Dorumon who was curled up and almost asleep, Strabimon who looked back at her fearfully, and then Haseo who didn't look up from his art.

"Well I'll be going then. Come on Lunamon. Let's go somewhere with people and digimon that have a pulse." Celena said as she walked out of the door.

"Yep. You guys are pretty boring." Lunamon said as she followed Celena out of the room. The two walked or floated down the stairs and pasted by the door when they heard the doorbell. Celena walked over to it and answered, and stared at Masurao and a girl she didn't know. "Um, can I help you with something Masurao?" she asked.

"Of course you can, my good friend." Masurao said as stepped past her and dragged Odoriko in. "Odoriko, this is Celena. She's the girl I was talking about."

"Oh? Well good luck with the next boy. Unfortunately Masurao seems more interested in me." Odoriko said like a total bitch.

"What is she talking about?" Celena asked as she glared daggers at Masurao.

"Oh you know Celena. You and Haseo are my best friends. Of course that's all we can be. Sorry but I keep telling you that it won't work between us. Why don't you try for Raimundo, or Haseo?" Masurao answered. Celena stared at the boy before dragging him into the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing here and talking about?" she hissed.

"I'm trying to impress Odoriko by introducing her to the digimon. Where's Lunamon?" he asked as he looked around the kitchen.

"So you're pretending we're your best friends and that I hit on you? You realize that this plan will crash and burn, right?" she asked. Masurao ignored her and continued searching the kitchen for Lunamon. Celena sighed before grabbing the boy and pulling him back to the main hall. She frowned when Odoriko wasn't there. She and Masurao both looked up when they heard a scream from upstairs.

The two of them rushed up and flung Haseo's door open. The scream, although it had sounded distinctly female, had actually come from Dorumon when Odoriko attacked him and began hugging him. Dorumon was struggling to get away but Odoriko had her arms wrapped around his neck. Haseo was looking extremely confused and Strabimon looked absolutely terrified.

"She's choking him." The dog digimon stuttered.

"Who are you?" Haseo asked as politely as he could but still demandingly.

"I'm Odoriko." She replied while still hugging Dorumon.

"Please stop choking Ryu-nisan Miss Odoriko." Haseo pleaded, still a little shocked by her sudden appearance. He looked up when he noticed Celena and Masurao and looked at them questioningly.

"This is my friend Odoriko." Masurao introduced. "I invited her over here to meet the digimon because I knew my best friends wouldn't mind."

"Best friends?" Haseo asked.

"He's lying Haseo." Celena whispered to him. "He's just doing it to get a date with Odoriko. Aparently she's always wanted to meet a digimon so Masurao is using them and us to get a date with her."

"I see. That is not very honest Masurao." Haseo said in his voice that got as close to scolding as he ever did.

"Well she's happy, and that's what matters. Because if she's happy, she might ask me out." Masurao replied with a smile.

"Yes, but what happens when Ryu-nisan runs out of oxygen and collapses?" Haseo asked. "Or when she discovers Strabimon?"

"Oh, a dog one!"

"Too late."

"No! No! Get away from me!" Strabimon cried as he jumped away from Odoriko. She chased him around the room and he finally jumped behind Haseo's chair.

"Masurao, get me that doggy digimon and I'll do out on a date with you." Odoriko offered.

"Come here you little date ticket." Masurao said as he walked towards Strabimon. Strabimon and Masurao ran around Haseo and the chair, repeatedly knocking poor Haseo around. Finally after Masurao gave up, Haseo fell back on to the chair with a very dazed look in his eyes and his face was a paler white than normal.

"That was not amusing." Haseo muttered his he grabbed his head.

"Let's go to the park." Odoriko suggested. "We can all play there with these cute little guys." Celena was about to protest but Masurao was hanging on Odoriko's every word, Dorumon was almost unconscious due to lack of oxygen, Strabimon was shaking in fear, and Haseo looked like he was about to throw up. She looked between everyone before shrugging and saying "It won't matter if I protest anyway." She helped Haseo and Dorumon to their feet and Lunamon coaxed Strabimon out of the room.

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"Hurry up guys!" Odoriko yelled.

"Oh Yggdrasil, she is such a bitch." Haseo muttered. Everyone with in ear shot turned and looked at Haseo in surprise. "If I say it, you know it is a fact." He said seriously. The others nodded and continued walking towards Odoriko.

"Finally. Man, you guys are slow." Odoriko said.

"I have a bum leg! What do you expect?" Masurao snapped. "Man, this is so not worth a date." He muttered. "Honestly, I think I'm about to rip my hair out."

"I agree. And I'm covered in fur." Strabimon said quietly. Masurao chuckled and looked over at the dog like digimon.

"So how are you doing? Are your injuries alright?" Masurao asked.

"I'm doing fairly well." Strabimon answered hesitantly. "My injuries weren't too severe, it was mainly exhaustion."

"That's good to hear. I was the one who found you, so it feels wrong to not make sure you're alright." Masurao said as he looked down at the digimon. "So, why don't you like humans?"

"I would rather not say." Strabimon answered as he looked down at the ground sadly. A small frown spread across his face and he looked like he was about to cry. "I just, don't trust your species. I've seen the sorts of things they do when they don't get their way."

"Well we're not all bad." Masurao said. "Just like not all digimon are bad."

"I suppose." Strabimon said worriedly. He looked up and blinked in surprise. "Where did Odoriko go?" he asked.

"Maybe she was eaten." Masurao said with a smile. "Wouldn't that be great?" A sudden shriek from in front of them alerted them and they rushed forward to the source of the sound. However, once again it wasn't Odoriko who shrieked but an unfortunate Tyrannomon who was being chased by her.

The Tyrannomon was a fairly large red tyrannosaurus with green spines on it's back. It stood a little less than double Haseo's height. It had a large mouth full of sharp teeth, but wasn't as vicious as it looked judging by his running terror. The unfortunate dinosaur tripped and fell and Odoriko was fangirl glomping it's neck from behind.

"That girl has issues." Dorumon said.

"A lot of issues." Lunamon added.

"Get off o me please! Please stop trying to kill me!" it roared in fear. "I didn't even want to come here!"

"Wait a minute!" Celena yelled. "Odoriko get off of him! This is important!"

"Fine." Odoriko grumbled as she let go of the dinosaur and slide down it's side, unfortunately avoiding any injuries from the spines. A few minutes later, everyone was calmed down and sitting down in the grass. Tyrannomon occasionally looked at Odoriko in fear.

"Don't worry, she won't hurt you." Lunamon consoled.

"Okay." Tyrannomon sniffed. Tears were in his eyes and he looked like he was about to cry.

"Please, tell us your story." Haseo requested politely.

"Okay, it started when I was with my two friends Deltamon and Growlmon. We were out for a wake and talking peacefully and the next thing we know, a Devimon pops out of nowhere and starts attacking us. We fended him off and eventually he said he was sent by the Demon Lords." Tyrannomon said "The Demon Lords,"

"Are 7 evil digital demons that rule over the parts of the Dark Area that the Boss doesn't. We know." Celena said.

"Oh. Well he said he was sent to recruit us as servants. Now we might seem scary but my friends and I really aren't interested in fighting. We declined the offer but he just smiled before disappearing and hitting me from behind. The next thing I know, I'm here and then I was attacked by her!" he finished as he pointed a claw fearfully at Odoriko.

"So then the Demon Lords are capable of sending digimon to this world." Haseo conluded. "Thank you for telling us this Tyrannomon. We had a theory that the Demon Lords were capable of this, but thank you for your confirmation." Haseo said gratefully.

"You're welcome, but how do I get back home?" the red dinosaur asked worriedly.

"You will not be going back." A voice said. The group turned to see a robed man standing the shadows of the trees. "It is nice to see you again, Haseo and Dorumon."

"Haseo, who is that guy?" Celena asked worriedly.

"In this form, you may call me Creepymon. However, you would know me as Daemon." The Demon Lord introduced with a bow. "It is nice to finally see you two again. Are you keeping your temper under control?"

"Shut up." Haseo growled. "Just shut up and get the hell out of here!"

"I'm not here. This is merely a hologram of sorts. I use it to keep track of the happenings in this world and I don't alert the Royal Knights." Creepymon said.

"This is one of the Demon Lords? He doesn't look like much." Celena commented.

"Do not be fooled. Creepymon is the Demon Lord of Wrath. He is very skilled in manipulation and almost never actually fights the enemy himself. He always uses one of his pawns." Dorumon growled.

"Ah yes, remember when you two were my pawns? Such a shame that the 'Boss' as you call him interfered." Creepymon said with what sounded like genuine sadness.

"Get away from us! I will not be your servant any longer! I should never have listened to your lies!" Haseo yelled.

"That's true, you shouldn't have. But you did, and I'm sure we both remember what happened because of it." Creepymon said with what sounded like a smirk under his wrapped up head. "But I'm only here to test you. There's no need to worry about any tricks." His form became a dark shadow and rushed at Tyrannomon. The monster roared in pain as his skin became pure black.

"DrakTyrannomon!" it roared. Everyone jumped back and ran away from the large monster as it turned to them. "Fire Blast!" he roared as he blew a stream of fire at the group. Everyone managed to dodge the flames, and Odriko began freaking out.

"That's it! Forget about you weirdoes! I'm out of here!" she cried before turning tail and running away as fast as her legs could carry.

"You wanted a date with her?" Strabimon asked.

"Shut up." Masurao grumbled.

"Iron Tail! (Those are really the names, I'm not ripping them off of Pokemon)" BlackTyrannomon roared as he swung his tail around and hit the three digimon away. Haseo pulled his bow from it's holder and aimed an arrow at Tyrannomon. He launched it but it easily broke when it hit DarkTyrannomon's tough skin.

"You really need to get those metal ones." Celena said.

"This is not the appropriate time, although I do agree." Haseo replied.

"So how do we get them to digivolve? I mean, it was so sudden last time I can't really remember." Celena asked frantically.

"I do not know." Haseo answered.

"Metal Ball!" Dorumon cried as he fired a cannonball from his mouth.

"Tear Shot!" Lunamon cried as she formed a glittering tear-shaped ball of ice and launched it.

"Licht Nagel! (Light Nail)" Strabimon cried as he raised his hand and formed a spear of light and hurled it at DarkTyrannomon. DrakTyrannomon hit the three attacks with his tail and hit the three digimon down. The three landed on top of each other and DarkTyrannomon prepared to slam his tail down on them.

Strabimon struggled to get up and put his claws together. "Licht Star! (Light Star)" he cried as he formed a six-pointed star and fired it at DarkTyrannomon. Again, he hit it away and stared down on Strabimon "Fire Blast!" he roared. Strabimon flinched as he prepared to be burned alive but felt the heat of the fire move away as he was pushed aside. He opened his eyes to see Masurao had knocked him out of the way.

"You alright?" Masurao asked. Strabimon nodded his head, a look of shock displayed on his furry dogface. "What? Are you really surprised? I told you not all humans are bad. So, do you think you trust me enough to fight with you?" Strabimon nodded his head and smiled. Masurao stood up and began glowing blue. "Let's go Strabimon!"

"Strabimon shinka, Lobomon!" he cried. The dog digimon now stood as a tall man covered in a combination of light gray and dark blue armor. His black scarf was striped with the same colors and was blowing in the wind. Under his dog like helmet was a tuft of blonde hair behind his head and his eyes were a calm red.

"Fire Blast!" DarkTyrannomon roared as he fired a stream of fire from his mouth.

"Licht Sieger! (Light Winner)" Lobomon cried as he pulled out a light-saber like sword of blue light and slashed through the fire. The stream was interrupted and disappeared. "Licht Kugel! (Light Ball)" Lobomon cried as he aimed his right hand at DarkTyrannomon and pushed a button on his wrist with his left. He fired a bullet of light that blew through Tyrannomon. "Licht Sieger!" he cried again as he flashed through DarkTyrannomon and sliced him in two.

DarkTyrannomon fell over and the darkness seeped out of his skin. Lobomon made the blade of light disappear and sheathed the handle. In a flash he was Strabimon again who turned and looked at the group. Masurao gave him a thumbs-up, and Strabimon returned the gesture.

"We have got to figure out the digivolving thing." Celena muttered as she looked at the sleeping Tyrannomon.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 14: And the Partner is…

"Where were you guys!?" Adam shouted.

"We were dragged out of the house by an evil monster." Celena answered, which in everyone's opinion was entirely true. "Don't worry, Mom took care of the egg."

"I know but I asked Haseo and Dorumon to! How could you guys leave him unprotected? If a digimon attacked he would have been totally vulnerable!" Adam yelled angrily.

"I apologize Adam, but I was not in my right frame of mind when I left. There were many factors that contributed to us leaving." Haseo said in a vain attempt to calm Adam down.

"Where's Strabimon?" Adam asked.

"He decided to go with Masurao. By the looks of things, there going to be partners." Lunamon answered. "He digivolved to Lobomon in our last fight. Then he used a special key the Royal Knights gave him to open a portal to the digital world and helped Tyrannomon back in."

"Tyrannomon was forced into dark digivolving by Creepymon." Dorumon added. "Anything exciting happen at that arcade place?"

"I'll say! Jasper, Lockheed, and I were attacked!" Adam yelled.

"By who?" Haseo asked.

"Some big bear like digimon named Porkyumon, or something. Porkmon? No, that's not it. Um, oh! Pokyupamon, that was his name." Adam managed to say. Haseo stared at Adam in shock before falling back onto the sofa. "What's wrong?" Adam asked worriedly.

"Pokyupamon is Belphemon's Adult form." Haseo answered fearfully. "You three were lucky to have made it out a live. Belphemon is merciless."

"Oh man, things don't sound good." Celena said. "Belphemon came here and almost killed my little brother, and Creepymon or Daemon or whatever he is can send hologram things. This is not good."

"Don't worry guys, I'm sure we can beat whatever the Demon Lords throw at us." Dorumon said confidently. The mood in the room didn't change at all and Dorumon frowned when the gloomy atmosphere got to him as well.

"We don't even know how to digivolve. The other times have all been spur of the moment things." Lunamon pointed out.

"My partner is just an egg. I can't help fight anyway." Adam said as he held the egg closer.

"We are at a clear disadvantage." Haseo said quietly. "We need to bring all of our forces together. I suggest we tell Loaño, Raimundo, and Sakura to rally all of their friends with digimon partners. We should meet somewhere tomorrow after school."

"I think Saturday would be the best. We wouldn't have to worry about excuses for skipping any clubs the others might be in." Celena added. Haseo, Dorumon, and Lunamon nodded in agreement. Adam looked up at them with a determined look in his eyes.

"When my partner hatches, he and I will be a part of the team too. We're not going to sit back and watch the Demon Lords wreck everything in these two worlds." he said determinedly. Celena seemed hesitant, but smiled and nodded in agreement.

"It's kind of late and we've all had an exciting day. I suggest we go to bed early." Celena said.

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"You did it again Daemon?" Lucemon asked. His calm voice was lightly laced with anger.

"You must understand Sir," Creepymon began.

"I don't care if it was a shadow! If the Royal Knights catch even a tiny little bit of any of our Demon Lord energies, than they will send one of them there. And at this point, I don't want to risk loosing any of you." Lucemon growled.

"I apologize Sir." Creepymon replied.

"No, no apologies! You will not do it again! I don't care about the little score you have to settle with that little white-haired bastard! For the love of everything dark and evil, you're the Demon Lord of Wrath! You have a score to settle with just about everyone!" Lucemon yelled.

Creepymon took his verbal beating and waited until his leader was finished yelling. "I understand your anger, but I wish to point out one thing."

"This better be good." Lucemon growled.

"That 'white-haired bastard' as you called him, is the one we need. He and Dorumon are the keys to unlocking what we want." Creepymon replied calmly. "I saw it with my own eyes, well technically my own eyes. You know what I mean. Anyway, I sensed a similar energy to that of what we're looking for."

Lucemon looked at Creepymon with cold eyes. "You've corrupted them before, can you do it again?" he asked.

"I would be glad to." Creepymon answered. The two looked up when they heard loud laughter. They both went out of the room and stopped dead when they saw Beelzemon laughing his biker ass off at Belphemon. All of the koala demon's hair was standing on end.

"Trying a new look Belphemon?" Lucemon asked with a smirk.

"I thought this would go down after my nap." He muttered.

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Haseo opened his eyes and closed them again. He felt a splitting pain in his skull and began rubbing his forehead. He put his hand back down on the ground and realized everything was wrong. He wasn't in his bed. Instead he was lying on a bed of sand. He sat up and looked around at the large beach he was sitting on.

Everything was a shade of gray or black, even the water and sand. Large cliffs stretched behind him made of gray rock with a few caves around the bottom of them. He looked along the coast and saw a tall lighthouse, but it wasn't giving off any light. Haseo weakly stood up and continued looking for any sign of people.

"Ryu-nisan!" He called out, but didn't get a response. "Celena! Lunamon!"

He was beginning to feel a sense of familiarity with the beach. He knew he hadn't, but he felt he had been there before. He looked around in a circle and stopped when even that little movement made him feel dizzy. He stopped ad held his head as he tried to hold down the sick feeling in his stomach.

He looked up when he heard something calling him. He looked around but didn't find the source. The voice continued to call his name in it's sweet tone. He looked around before he finally realized the noise was coming from the ocean. He walked closer and stood at the shore as he scanned the water for any thing that would be calling him.

"Haseo!" the voice called out, louder this time. "Please! Help me Haseo!"

Haseo slowly started walking forward into the water as he tried to find the source of the voice. He felt a hazy feeling fill his head as he continued walking into the water. He stumbled forward and tripped. He fell into the dark water but was surprised when he felt a warm fuzzy feeling fill his body. He didn't want to leave the water. He felt himself slipping in and out of consciousness.

"Haseo." A new voice said.

"Go away." Haseo muttered.

"Haseo." The voice said sternly.

"Leave me alone." Haseo said quietly.

"Haseo!" Celena yelled. Haseo opened his eyes and looked up from his desk. Celena was looking over him worriedly and the teacher walked over to them as the rest of the kids left.

"Are you feeling alright Haseo?" he asked.

"Yes sir." Haseo answered as he started collecting his books. He put them in his bag and walked out of the room with Celena close behind.

"Are you alright?" Celena asked worriedly.

"Yes, I am fine. There's no need to worry." Haseo muttered.

"Are you sure? Normally you're listening to the teacher's every word, but today you've been drifting in and out of class." Celena commented.

"Look, I said I was fine alright." Haseo snapped. "Never mind. Just forget it, I'm going to the infirmary."

Celena watched him go with a worried frown before the first bell got her attention and she rushed to the gym.

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"Are you feeling alright Dorumon?" Lunamon asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I guess." He answered. Lunamon and Adam both looked at each other worriedly. Dorumon was curled up on the sofa and hadn't been very active that day. All he had done was lie around and sleep.

Adam looked up when he heard a knock at the door, but didn't bother to answer it since his mother was home. He turned back to Dorumon and tried to figure out something to do but finally decided to let him rest. He turned the TV on and sat down next to Lunamon. He looked over when his mother entered the room along with a certain masked digimon.

"Your back?" Adam asked.

"Adam, that's no way to greet a guest." His mother said.

"Oh it's alright. I'm sorry for surprising you four like this but I wanted to come and be here when the egg hatched." The Boss answered.

"He's going to hatch soon?" Adam asked hopefully.

"Judging by the curled up digimon over there, I would say yes." Boss answered. He sat down next to Dorumon and looked at him as he continued. "Haseo and Dorumon are very susceptible to dark energy. I figured that the egg would hatch by Friday, and Haseo and Dorumon would both be feeling down as a result."

"So my partner is going to be a dark digimon? Is that a good thing?" Adam asked.

"Of course. Just because a digimon is dark doesn't make it bad." Boss replied with a smile. "You see, when a digimon is about to hatch it gives off very light energy waves. Normally only a high leveled digimon like myself could feel it, but that digimon is special. It is very dark, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's strength, and attitude all depend on your own."

"So my partnergetting ready to hatch is what's making Dorumon feel like crap?" Adam asked.

"Yep. Poor guy." Boss replied as he gently pet Dorumon's head. "Haseo probably isn't feeling to well either. But it'll pass once you meet you partner." Dorumon uncurled slightly and put his head on the Boss's lap.

"I don't feel well." He moaned. "Make me feel better." He whined like a child expecting to be cured instantly.

"Uhm guys." Adam said suddenly. Everyone looked over when a large crack appeared on the egg.

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Celena opened the door to her house and walked in with Haseo behind her. They had met back up on the way home but Haseo's mood didn't seem much better. He had sat out during the PE class after he left the infirmary. "Celena!" Lunamon yelled as she flew out of the living room and towards the two of them. "The egg hatched!"

"What?" the two of them asked in shock. They both hurried to the living room and saw Dorumon still curled up with the Boss sitting next to him. On the other sofa sat Celena's mother and Adam holding a small gray ball of hair. Celena ran over to Adam and he smiled up at her.

The small gray digimon looked up and opened it's thin glowing red eyes. Three skinny insect like legs were on each of it's sides. The gray fur was long and thin and covered his body entirely. "That's your partner?" Celena asked.

"Yep." Adam answered. "I guess the Boss was right." He added when he saw Haseo sitting next to Dorumon and had fallen asleep. "I'm sorry you guys aren't feeling well."

"I don't think he even noticed I was here." Boss said in self pity as anime-style comedy tears flowed down his face. "Nobody seems to care I'm around."

"So what exactly is that creepy little guy?" Celena asked.

"He's not creepy!" Adam yelled. "His name is Arcadimon, and he's my partner."

"It looks like an evil spider." Celena said.

"Well he's not." Adam said as he hugged the digimon closer to him. "He's my partner and my new best friend." Arcadimon climbed out of Adam's arms and rested on his head. It's legs fit around Adam's head perfectly and it peered up at Celena with it's red eyes.

"Well I'm happy he finally hatched. Good for you two Adam." His mother said.

"So I'm the only one who thinks it looks like an over-grown spider?" Celena asked.

"I do." Lunamon agreed.

"Well I like him. The Boss said he's a really strong digimon." Adam said as he gently stroked his partners gray hair.

"Oh yeah, you're here aren't you?" Celena asked. She ignored the Boss's muttering to himself about being ignored and continued. "So that thing is Adam's partner? Is there anything wrong with it?"

"Not at all!" the Boss said excitedly. "That digimon is extremely powerful and is rather close to me. His growth all depends on how Adam treats him."

"Celena, it's Friday!" Lunamon suddenly yelled. "The concert!"

"Oh crap, I'm late! I need to go to Rai's. Will I see you guys at the concert?" she asked.

"Of course." Her mother said. She looked over at Haseo and Dorumon and said "Well, most of us." Celena ran up stairs and grabbed her guitar before running down stairs and out of the house. Lunamon followed closely behind and they both rushed over to Raimundo's house.

She didn't bother knocking and ran in. When she got to the living room Rai, Loaño, Jasper, Hawkmon, Kidd, and Lockheed greeted them. "Sorry I'm a little late guys. I meant to rush over when I got home but Adam's egg hatched and I got a little wrapped up in that."

"Who is it?" Jasper asked.

"A little gray spider named Arcadimon. It looks really creepy, but the Boss said he's okay." Celena answered. "Where's Sakura?"

"We're here!" Sakuyra yelled as she entered the room. Mushroomon followed her into the room and began panting.

"This girl can move when she needs to." He panted as he pointed at Sakura.

"Yeah, yeah enough chit chat. We need to practice. We only have an hour before the concert!" Loaño yelled urgently. Everyone else moved to the garage and began practicing as if their lives depended on it. Slowly the time ticked by, but for them it was like it was gone in five minutes. Before they knew it, it was time for the concert.


	15. Chapter 15

This chapter officially marks the end of the Prequel

This chapter officially marks the end of the Prequel! After this, the story will really start picking up! The stage is finally set and the Demon Lords will start making their move soon!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, including the Naruto references.

Chapter 15: Song and Dance

"You two sure you don't want to come?" Adam asked. Haseo and Dorumon shook their heads and Adam frowned. "I'm sorry that my partner is doing this. It's not his fault, he just can't help it."

"It's alright, we'll be fine." Dorumon said. "You go and have fun and cheer extra hard for us." Adam nodded before running out of their room. He rushed down stairs and told his mom, "They're still not feeling well."

"That's a shame." His mother said with a frown. "Well I suppose we should get moving. We don't want to be late. Are you sure you don't need a ride?" she asked the Boss.

"No, I just want to make sure Haseo and Dorumon are alright. I'll catch up later." he insisted. Mrs. Kurosaki nodded and her husband also came down stairs.

"Everyone ready?" he asked. The other two nodded and they left the house. The Boss watched the go before sighing and taking out a golden pocket watch.

"Fifteen minutes." He said quietly. "And then the real show starts.

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"Oh man." Sakura said as the band arrived at the stage. It was in a large cleared off area of the park and could easily fit everyone coming. Bands from all over the city, and even other parts of Japan had come to perform. The winning band would get a contract with a record company and a chance at fame. "I feel so much more nervous than I thought I would."

"Talk about having butterflies in your stomach. I feel sick." Celena agreed.

"Come on guys, it's not that bad. What's the worst that could happen?" Loaño asked.

"We suck out loud and everyone in the city ends up hearing about it and then the whole city laughs at us. And then the people from around the country tells their friends and the next thing you know, all of Japan and possibly the world is laughing at us." Rai said gravely.

"Wow, hadn't thought of that." Loaño muttered.

"In a few bands, we'll be next." Celena said as she watched the band on stage perform. "Fifteen minutes and we get to go on."

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"The egg hatched!" Lucemon roared angrily. "How could the egg hatch!? I thought he hadn't found a partner for it!"

"We were misinformed. Apparently he did and it hatched an hour ago." Barbamon answered. "We must find that digimon and destroy it or our plans are as good as ruined!"

"Well what do you propose we do? It's not like we can go ourselves." Beelzemon pointed out.

"Perhaps we could send a whole bunch of strong digimon. You know, really wreck up the place!" Belphemon shouted.

"I like that plan!" Leviamon agreed.

"Leave it to idiots to think of an idiotic plan." Daemon muttered.

"What did you say? At least I'm not so ugly I have to hide my face from the worlds!" Belphemon countered. "In fact, most digimon say my Sleep Mode is adorable!"

"It is." Lilithmon agreed.

"Enough!" Lucemon roared. "I will go and take care of the matter myself, regardless of any Knights or vampires that stand in my way!" He snapped his fingers and a dark portal opened up and he entered through it.

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Haseo lied next to Dorumon on his bed. He only remembered feeling this baldy a few other times, and they were never pleasant. He felt a cold sweat form on his face and wiped it off. He began taking deep breaths in an effort to not throw up on his brother.

Dorumon was curled up and shaking. His whole body was freezing cold and he felt horrible. He uncurled slightly and began panting from a sudden exhaustion. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he whispered "Something's coming."

Haseo lokked out the window in fear and felt it too. Something big was coming. Something very big and very dangerous. The dark energies felt like they were suffocating him. The park. Something bad was going to happen at the park. He tried to get up and arn the Boss, but fell back to the bed. He felt himself drift off as he fell into a fitful sleep.

Downstairs, the Boss looked at his pocket watch again. He sighed before heading out of the house. He looked up at the full moon and smiled. "Looks like I should get moving. The other actors won't wait for me to show up." He said as he opened a dark portal and stepped in.

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"We're on." Rai said. All of there hearts were pounding as they walked out on stage and faced the large crowd. The prepared everything and got ready to start the song. Celena walked up to the microphone and gulped.

'Run! Run you idiot!' she was yelling at her self. She looked around nervously at the large crowd and felt her heart speed up. Despite all of the practices and rehearsals, she had never performed on stage. She heard Rai hit his drumsticks together and the song began.

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"We're here!" Adam's father announced. Everyone piled out of the car and walked out of the parking lot. They headed for the lights and sounds of the stage and moved quickly. They stopped though when a dark portal opened in front of them. They went on the alert when a tall man with angel and demon wings stepped out.

"Hello there. I don't suppose your willing to hand over that digimon, are you?" he asked politely. Adam held Arcadimon closer and glared at the man. "Good. I was hoping for some fun." The man said. He snapped his fingers and another portal opened.

A large purple cocoon shaped digimon with a red horn came out of the portal. Tentacles extended from it's body and each ended in a diamond shaped spear head. It's eyes were black except for two small yellow pupils. "Say hello to my good servant, Chrysalimon." Lucemon introduced.

"Internet Surge!" it roared as it shot a beam of energy from it's horn. Everyone jumped aside as the beam swept through the group.

"Are you alright?" Mr.Kurosaki asked his wife.

"I think so. Where's Adam?" she asked as she frantically looked around. "Adam!" she shouted when she saw Adam on the ground far away from them. He seemed to have collapsed and remained motionless. Arcadimon as on his back and was glaring up at Chrysalimon.

"Data Crusher!" the cocoon monster roared as it fired a all of energy. It exploded and sent Adam and Arcadimon rolling. Adam opened his eyes and weakly looked up at Chrysalimon.

"Is that the best you got, you overgrown cocoon!" Adam yelled. Crysalimon thrusted it's tentacles forward and wrapped up Adam and Arcadimon. He brought them closer to him and Lucemon floated towards Adam.

"You humans are such interesting creatures to watch." He said with a smile. "You run around with your boring little lives and actually trick yourselves into thinking you're anything compared to digimon." Lucemon stretched out his hand and placed it in front of Adam's face. Adam flinched and looked away when he though the Demon Lord would strike him but instead Lucemon lightly touched his nose.

"I wonder from time to time why someone was powerful as I, have taken a form similar to your species. Sometimes I feel mad about it, cheated even. But then I remember I am still superior to you in every way." Lucemon continued. Adam glared at Lucemon and bit his finger.

"Oh wow, that hurts." Lucemon said sarcastically. "Tell me, do you want to die first, or should Arcadimon? Or better yet." Lucemon said as an inspired look spread over his face. He floated over and stayed above Adam's parents. "How about I kill them instead? Then your sister, friends, and everyone at that little concert. And then when it's all over and your on you knees crying. I'll walk away and leave you on your own."

"You're sick!" Adam cried.

"What do you mean? Haven't you ever stepped on an ant before? I'm just making stepping on these ants a bit more fun." Lucemon said as his righ hand began glowing white.

"No! Don't you dare!" Adam yelled angrily. A yellow energy covered his body and Arcadimon broke out of Chrysalimon's tentacle. It glowed brightly before turning into a much larger moster. It was as tall as Tyrannomon had been, with a human like shape. It was hunched over and sitting on all fours. Most of it's body was the color of tanned human skin and it's nails were a dark pink. It's shoulders were a grayish green and it's stomach and waist were gray. It had a long gray thin tail behind it. "Arkadimon!" Adam shouted in surprise. It's two thin eyes opened and a third vertical one opened on it's forehead. The thin eyes glowed a bright red as it glared at Chrysalimon.

Chrysalimon sent it's free tentacles forward but it was too late. In a flash Arkadimon had it's arm stretched forward. It impaled Chrysalimon and the cocoon like monster began shining blue before disappearing. A digitama dropped lightly to the ground. Arkadimon let out a victorious hissing noise. It's arm formed back into a hand and he caught Adam as he fell.

Lucemon glared at Arkadimon. "I suppose I'll have to kill you two myself!" he roared as he charged forward.

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The band smiled as they heard the cheers from the crowd. It had been there best performance of the song and they had done well for there first time on stage. They all moved back stage and group hugged.

"We did it!" I knew there was nothing to worry about!" Celena yelled.

"You did not! I said that!" Loaño said with a happy smile.

"Well whoever said it doesn't matter. What matters is that we did it! I think we might have a shot at winning this!" Sakura cried happily.

"Come on, don't jinx it!" Rai yelled. "We shouldn't take any chances!"

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"I don't think so." A taunting voice said. Lucemon's fist hand been stopped by none other than the Boss. "Right on time. Looks like I hit my cue exactly." He said with a smile. Lucemon glared at him before throwing another punch. The Boss blocked this attack as well and knocked Lucemon back. "Nice to see you again!" the Boss cried cheerfully.

"Even nicer is that it will be our last meeting!" Lucemon roared as he lunged forward. "Dead or Alive!" he cried as he trapped the Boss in a large orb of light. He created a black orb in his other hand and fused it with the orb of light. The two energies swirled together and exploded. Lucemon smiled when he saw the Boss drop to his knees. His skin was burned and scarred and his suit was in shreds.

"Not bad." The Boss said with a smile. He stood up and slowly the burns, bruises, and cuts faded and sowed themselves shut. His suit stitched itself back together and in a matter of five seconds, it looked as if he had never taken the attack. "Not bad at all. It looked like that one attack that old pervert uses in that one manga. You know, the frog sage or something." He paused and put a hand under his chin as he actually stopped and thought about it.

"Stop mocking me!" Lucemon roared. "Paradise Lost!" he cried as he began mercilessly beating the Boss with his fists. He kicked him up and jumped up into the air. He grabbed the Boss'es legs and crossed his legs on the Boss's neck. He spun in the air and slammed the Boss head first into the ground. Lucemon jumped away from the crater and smiled. "Take that."

"Oh, I get it!" the Boss shouted as he jumped up from the crater. His wounds healed themselves again and he continued talking. "That was like what that weird kid that talks about youth uses! Um, Primary Lotus? Well I think Paradise Lost sounds better."

"No. It didn't work! How did it not work!?" Lucemon roared.

"Because I'm immortal." The Boss said as he took out his pocket watch. "Hey, Adam's family!"

"Was that a bad joke?" Adam wondered. Arcadimon shrugged.

"What you're about to see is strictly confidential, get it? I supposedly abandoned this a long time ago and my friends would be pissed if they knew I kept it around. What I'm saying is, let's keep this fight just between us, alright?" the Boss asked. He closed the pocket watch and coiled and said, "Stand within heaven, Tegoku no Hinote (Flames of Paradise)!"

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After the last band performed all of the bands walked out on stage. The host of the event took the card and read it out loud. Celena and co. frowned when it wasn't their name. The winning band did an encore, but they weren't paying attention.

"Man, we lost." Sakura said sadly. "We didn't even get second or third." Everyone sighed and grumbled and just felt depressed in general as they made there way back to the parking lot. They planned on meeting their parents there and halfway to the car they met up with their digimon.

"Sorry you guys didn't win." Mushroomon consoled.

"Get me away from him!" a loud voice cried. They all turned and saw Lucemon running for his life.

"Wait, come back! I'm not done fighting yet!" the Boss called as he calmly walked after him. He stopped when he saw the group and walked over to them. "Hey, did you guys win?" he asked.

"No." Celena answered and then introduced everyone to each other.

"So what's with the alignment confused angel?" Rai asked as they watched Lucemon open a portal and run through it.

"Oh nothing, I was just playing a game with him." The Boss answered with his normal smile.

"Hi guys!" Adam yelled as he walked up to the group. His parents and Arcadimon were next to him. Arcadimon had reverted to his Child level witch was the same size as him. It was all pink, with red scythe blades for hands and feet. It's red eyes were in the same thin glare as always as it looked at the group. "Oh yeah, this is Arcadimon." Adam introduced. Arcadimon hissed as a sign of greeting.

"Is that really what his partner looks like or am I high?" Kidd asked.

"Don't be so mean to him." Adam said as he put an arm around Arcadimon. "He might look a little weird, being pink and all but he's still cool."

"Yeah, Kidd meant he's weird because he's pink. Not because he looks evil." Rai said sarcastically.

"Well I guess we should head home. Sorry you guys didn't win. The important thing is you tried your best and had fun." Celena's mother said. Everyone started walking for the parking lot, but Celena heard something. She looked around and saw a brown haired young man wearing a brown hat with a strange symbol on it.

"You did pretty well tonight." He said. "Nice singing."

"Uh, thanks I guess." Celena said wearily.

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you. I wanted to congratulate you. Here, take this." He said as he threw a necklace forward. It was a necklace with the sole ornament a thin pink diamond shaped object.

"Um, thanks I guess." Celena said.

"If you really want to hit it big, you might want to get used to fans swarming you." The man said with a smile. "You should keep that around. It just might end up helping you with your problem." He turned around and walked away.

"Hey, you coming Celena?" Adam yelled.

"Yeah! I'll be right there!" Celena answered.

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After Celena and Adam got home, Adam took Arcadimon and decided to start teaching him about the human world. Celena sent Lunamon to make sure Adam didn't wreck the poor thing for life. After she made sure Arcadimon wouldn't end up thinking all humans were idiots, she went upstairs to check on Haseo and Dorumon.

She quietly opened the door in case they had fallen asleep. She looked into the room to see Haseo lying awake and Dorumon curled up in front of him. He turned and looked up at Celena and smiled. "Hello." He greeted quietly.

"Hey." Celena said. She walked into the moonlight room an sat down on the small bit of space left on the bed. "Are you feeling alright?" she whispred.

"Yes. I am sorry for acting so harshly to you earlier. You were only looking out for me." Haseo said.

"The Boss filled me in on the cause of it. I understand, I think." Celena answered. There was a moment of peaceful silence before she asked, "How did you like your first week of school? It's hard to believe it's only been a week. With all of this digimon stuff, it feels more like a month."

"I agree, but I enjoyed my time here. Thank you for helping me to adjust." Haseo thanked. "This place is very different from my old home."

"Where did you used to live?" Celena asked.

"Ryu-nisan and I have always lived in the digital world. The Boss raised us together and we've always stayed in the Dark Area for most of our lives." Haseo answered.

"Wow." Celena said. "You must have had all sorts of adventures. It sounds like a lot of fun."

"Yes, I enjoy my old home very much. I was reluctant at first, when he told us we had to come here." Haseo admitted. "I was worried, because I have not met very many humans before, but I am glad to have accepted my mission. I am happy to have come here and meet you and the rest of our friends."

"Well anytime you feel down, you're welcome to talk to me. I'll always be here for you with an open mind." Celena said. She and Haseo stared at each other and Haseo sat up and moved next to Celena. The stared at each other and slowly they drew closer to each other.

A sudden sneeze from Dorumon ruined the moment like a Lynxmon attack ruins scientists' sanity.

Haseo and Celena both grew bright red and looked away. Dorumon looked up at them in slight confusion before muttering, "No, bad evil cow. No chicken for you." and then falling back to sleep. Haseo and Celena looked at each other embarrassedly. "I guys I'm going to go to bed." Celena said. "See you in the morning."

"Oh, right um yes. You certainly will." Haseo tripped through embarrassedly. Celena smiled and walked out of the room.

'Did Haseo and I just almost kiss!?' she thought loudly. 'No way! I do not have those feelings for Haseo! We were just really close, and it was a sweet moment. We both just got wrapped up in the moment.' She thought as she walked into her room. 'We were wrapped up in the sweet moment.' She closed the door and slid down to the floor in the light filled room.

'Did Celena and I almost? No, our relationship is strictly friends and nothing more. We cannot afford to have a relationship like that for the time being. I mean ever! We can't have a relationship. We were just swept up in the moment.' Haseo thought in the darkness of his room.

"Right?" they both wondered aloud.


	16. Chapter 16

I have a side story up for this story on my profile

I have a side story up for this story on my profile. It's a bunch of scenes from various characters' perspectives as they talk to and think about another character. It'll help you get inside their heads and it will be up soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 16: The Gangs All Here!

"Wake up Adam!" Celena yelled as she pounded on her brother's door. "If you want to go to the meeting then you need to wake up!" She waited for a response or the door to open but it remained closed and the room was silent. Finally she sighed and she opened the door.

She walked over and shook Adam awake. He looked at her with sleepy eyes and yawned. "Why did you wake me up?" he asked sleepily.

"Because if you want to go to the meeting with Haseo and me, then you need to wake up and get ready." Celena answered. "Wait, where's Arcadimon?" she asked.

"Up there." Adam said as he pointed at the ceiling. Celena looked up and shrieked when Arcadimon dropped from the ceiling and landed on the bed in front of her. Adam pet Arcadimon's head when he walked over and lied down on Adam's lap.

"He is so creepy. Did he sleep on the ceiling?" Celena asked.

"Yep." Adam answered. Arcadimon looked up at Adam and let out a hissing noise from his mouth. Adam laughed when he heard it and patted Arcadimon's head. "He said he scared you on purpose for shaking me awake." Adam translated when he saw the confused look on Celena's face.

"You can understand him?" Celena asked.

"Sure. It's not like he's hissing or anything. I can hear him loud and clear." Adam answered. "Now get out so I can get ready."

"Alright, you weirdoes." Celena said before turning around and walking out of the room. Adam yawned after she left and lied back down 'I'll just lie here for a bit.' He thought tiredly.

"Wake up Adam." Arcadimon said in a calm and pleasant voice, but to anyone but Adam it would sound like a hiss. "You don't want to fall asleep." Arcadimon moved up on the bed and lied down next to Adam. "Otherwise your sister and her friends will leave you behind."

"Yeah, I know." Adam grumbled as he got out of his bed with a sigh. "You need to get up too you know." He said when he saw Arcadimon stretch out on the bed.

"I'll get up when we go downstairs." Arcadimon answered as he looked over at Adam.

"But I need to get dressed." Adam protested.

"Okay." Arcadimon said without moving.

"Get out!" Adam yelled embarrassedly. Arcadimon jumped up and scurried out and closed the door behind him. He looked back at the door and sighed in confusion.

'I don't get it. Why did Adam snap at me?' he thought. 'Why did he sound embarrassed?' Arcadimon was confused because he didn't fully comprehend gender or personal space. Being the kind of digimon he is, he doesn't have any gender similarities like Angemon has male characteristics and Angewomon has female characteristics. 'Maybe he's still tired. That's why he snapped at me' Arcadimon thought as he climbed up on the wall using his special claws to not leave marks and rested on the ceiling.

Adam watched the door and was slightly unnerved by his partners lack of personal space. 'He's a pretty funny digimon.' Adam thought be fore getting dressed in his new wardrobe. He decided to modify Haseo's look by wearing a long-sleeved red shirt and red pants. He put red fingerless gloves on and walked out of the room. He gasped in surprise when he felt Arcadimon's light body drop on him from the ceiling.

"I'm sorry if I crossed a line." Arcadimon apologized as he hugged his arms around Adam's neck.

"It's fine, but could you get off of me?" Adam asked. It wasn't that his partner was heavy, but it felt weird having the spider-like digimon latched onto his back. Arcadimon let go and stood on his own. He followed Adam downstairs and they walked into the living room.

"Good morning Adam, Arcaadimon." Haseo greeted.

"More like interesting morning." Adam commented. "Arcadimon could you go get me something for breakfast?" he asked politely. Arcadimon hissed and nodded before walking into the kitchen. Adam was about to say something when he heard a strange noise and then a thump.

"I'm okay!" Arcadimon hissed. Dorumon and Haseo both stared at the wall where the kitchen was behind.

"He has trouble walking on tile. His claws aren't good for traction and it makes him slip up." Adam answered. Haseo and Dorumon nodded in understanding and Adam asked quietly "What do you know about Arcadimon?"

"What do you mean?" Dorumon asked.

"Nothing really, I was just wondering." Adam replied.

"Nothing. I do not know him any more than you Adam." Answered Haseo. "What do you think of him?"

"I like him." Adam answered with a smile. "He's nice and he has a few funny habits too. Like sleeping on the ceiling with his claws. He has a few problems though with personal space though. I guess he's just more opened minded to things than other people. He doesn't seem to care or notice the embarrassment other people get, but it's not like he does it on purpose. He's just learning about life and people."

"Wow. I didn't expect my brother to be so understanding." Celena commented as she entered the room with Lunamon. Everyone looked towards the kitchen when they heard a loud roaring noise, but to Adam it sounded like crying.

Meanwhile, Arcadimon entered the kitchen and slipped the minute he stepped on the tile. "I'm okay!" he yelled out, although his butt told him different. He used his claws to lean against the counters and carefully stood up. 'Stupid claws.' He muttered. He slowly walked around the kitchen as he looked for something to give to Adam to eat.

His thin claw legs slid a little on the tile and he kept the best grip he could on the counter. He carefully walked over to a fruit bowl and planned on stabbing an apple and taking it back to Adam. He made it over and managed to only slip once, but didn't fall again. He stabbed the apple and planned on walking back out when he lost his balance and hit the bowl down. He landed painfully on his butt again and all of the fruit hit him on the head before the bowl rolled off and did the same. He began shaking a little bit and started crying loudly.

A few seconds later, everyone in the house was in the kitchen and looking at Arcadimon in confusion. Adam was the only one who could understand Arcadimon was crying. He rushed over to his partner and helped him up and Arcadimon wrapped his claws around Adam as he continued crying like a five-year old that had just been woken up by loud thunder. Arcadimon suddenly slipped again but Adam caught him and lowered him to the ground.

"Don't worry Arcadimon, you're alright." Adam said calmly as he hugged his partner.

"I-I wanted to get you an a-apple, but, but I t-t-tripped and, and, and the fruit fell on my head and the bowl hit me on the head and it hurt me and it, it scared me!" Arcadimon sobbed. Everyone looked at Arcadimon worriedly, but had no idea what had happened. All they heard was a lot frantic hissing and sobbing.

Adam asked his dad to check Arcadimon's head and he did. "There's a small bump but he's alright. What do you think happened?" he asked.

"What do you mean? Arcadimon already explained." Adam answered.

"You can understand his hissing?" Lunamon asked.

"What hissing?" Adam asked. "He doesn't hiss."

"Interesting. It seems Adam is able to understand Arcadimon's speech. It is most likely because they are partners." Haseo explained.

"Wow, so I'm the only one who understand Arcadimon?" Adam asked as he looked at his partner. Arcadimon had calmed down considerably but still had tears in his squinting red eyes and his claws wrapped around Adam. "Cool!" he yelled.

"Well you're the only one I can understand. I just hear a lot of weird noises from everyone else, but I hear normal hissing from you." Arcadimon commented. Adam translated for everyone.

"Weird." Celena commented. "Well I guess we should get going. We don't want to be late." Adam, Haseo, Dorumon, and Lunamon nodded and they left after making sure Arcadimon was okay.

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Everyone had decided to meet up at Hanekuro's home since it was the largest. Celena led the group through the city and they found Hanekuro's home easily enough. Lunamon rang the doorbell and soon after Hanekuro and Loaño answered the door.

"You part of the group?" Hanekuro asked. He stared at Haseo's white hair and seemed to space out a little bit.

"They're with me." Loaño said. "I gave them directions and told them to meet us here." Hanekuro came back to reality and opened the door to allow the group in. Celena and the group walked into the house and Hanekuro led them to the large living room. Raimundo, Jasper, Sakura, Masurao, Loaño, Kaya, Hanekuro, Celena, Adam, and Haseo ll introduced themselves and their partners.

"Alright, I think the first thing we should do is," Hanekuro began.

"Hold it. Who made you leader?" Rai asked.

"Come on Rai, don't make a fuss." Hawkmon pleaded.

"Master would make a great leader!" Ryudamon stated proudly.

"Not to mention, I'm the oldest one here. You're all 15 or 10, and I'm 16." Hanekuro added.

"Then what the hell are you doing with so many kids younger than you? Can't you make friends your own age?" Masurao asked with a smirk. Hanekuro glared daggers at him but Masurao was unaffected.

"Come on guys, let's not fight." Sakura pleaded.

"I agree. Cool it Kuro-kun." Kaya said.

"Kuro-kun?" Mushroomon asked before laughing.

"Shut it you walking fungus!" Hanekuro snapped.

"Come one guys, this isn't the time for angry yelling!" Loaño yelled, but she was ignored.

"Something tells me it is." Kidd muttered.

Celena sighed as the yelling and arguing increased until everyone was shouting and arguing with each other. She looked over at Haseo who was trying to calm everyone down but it wasn't working in the least, especially with Dorumon sitting beside him and yelled across the room at Ryudamon. She stood up and took a deep breath before yelling at the top of her singing lungs "SHUT UP!"

Everyone stopped and looked at her in surprise. "Sit down next to your partners." She ordered. Everyone scurried around the room and everyone sat next to their partners. "There is no reason for us to fight. We can save that for the Demon Lords." Celena finished before sitting down. "Haseo, explain who the Demon Jackasses are."

Haseo grew a deep red when he noticed everyone staring at him. He gulped before explaining the Demon Lords to everyone.

"So those are the big bad guys?" Hanekuro asked.

"That's the best way to put them, yes." Haseo answered.

"I guess we should explain our side of things too." Kaya said. She began to explain all of the things she, Hanekuro, and Loaño had done.

"So far every digimon has appeared in the park. It's a safe bet that the park is where everything is happening and what the Demon Lords are focusing on." Celena summed up. "The only major question left is why?"

"Well so far they have sent out a few assassins to take out Haseo and Dorumon." Sakura said.

"I was one of them but I was bullied into it by Ninjamon and Igamon. I didn't want to but they forced me into it. To be honest, I don't know anything bout why the Demon Lords want Haseo and Dorumon dead. I was just told to help kill them, but I missed my target." Mushroomon said.

"I'm glad you did." Sakura said with a smile.

"It is most likely because we are the representatives of Tsukikuro. As long as we are here, the Boss has greater influence over the happenings that go on." Haseo said.

"That's one reason down, what about the other digimon? Strabimon works for the Royal Knights, and that Tyrannomon was sent against his will. But SaberDramon and Golemon were sent for another reason. They just attacked us because they had the chance." Hanekuro said.

"Most of our enemies have dark digivolved. Normally not even normal digivolution is possible unless the digimon is extremely strong or they have a human partner. Which means that something about the park is forcing the digimon to dark digivolve." Loaño said.

"I believe it is safe to say that the Demon Lords are after the power that is tainting the digimon. Most likely, it is an item that is hidden somewhere in the park." Jasoer said. "I also believe that there is a chance that the item has something to do with Haseo and Dorumon, which is why the Demon Lords have been sending out assassins." Jasper said. "Also, the other day before we were attacked in the arcade by one of the Demon Lords, a man gave me this." He said as he held up his blue and purple necklace that had been under his shirt.

"Hey! I have something like that too!" Celena cried. She picked up her necklace and showed it to everyone. "A weird brow-haired guy wearing a hat gave it to me after the concert."

"I know you have one too, that's why I mentioned it. I was also given the necklace by a strange brown haired man. I won it at the arcade and he pointed it out to me, and I felt something strange when I saw it. I felt like I needed it." Jasper replied. "I believe that man gave us these on purpose and he knows something about what's been going on."

"Isn't that kind of a big assumption?" Kaya asked.

"Yes, but it is a possibility." Jasper replied.

"Wow, you're like L or something." Loaño said. "Are you a genius?"

"Genius is a strong word, and I prefer to be compared to Near." Jasper replied with a smile.

"Why?" Kidd asked.

"Because white hair is cooler." Jasper answered.

"Yes, it is." Haseo agreed with a smile.

"Alright, to sum everything up. The Demon Lords are sending bad digimon to kill Haseo and find a mysterious item in the park that has something to do with corrupting digimon. Our goal should be to find the item first and send it to the Boss." Celena summarized.

"Sounds good to me." Loaño said.

"I suggest we search the park tomorrow. It may end up being a futile endeavor but it is the only plan I can think of." Haseo suggested.

"You talk rather weirdly." Koinumon said. Haseo merely shrugged in response.

"So, should we go today?" Adam asked. Everyone thought about it, but Haseo answered for the group.

"I do not think that is a wise idea. I suggest we spend the day getting to know everyone. If our first conversation is anything to go by, then it would not be wise to enter a fight together."

"I think we should pick a leader." Hanekuro said. "I nominate myself."

Kaya rolled her eyes but said "Second."

"Third." Koinumon chimed in.

"Fourth." Loaño said.

"Fifth, I guess." Kidd added. Everyone else remained silent. Nobody voted but they didn't suggest anyone else either. Hanekuro smiled triumphantly and was abpout to say he would be the leader, but Haseo cut him off.

"I nominate Celena."


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 17:

"What!?" Celena shouted.

"I agree." Sakura said. Mushroomon nodded his head in agreement.

"You're right. She always has been the leader of our group." Rai said.

"I say go for it!" Adam chimed and Arcadimon hissed, although only Adam could understand. Everyone continued agreeing and even Hanekuro was persuaded to agree.

"Wow, you guys really think I would make a good leader?" Celena asked in shock. "I guess I could be."

"Hurray for Celena!" Lunamon yelled happily.

"Well if you all think I should be, than I accept." Celena said with a smile.

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Shortly after that everyone had to leave for one reason or another. Masurao had to go to soccer try-outs, Sakura had to help her mother at their families flower shop, and Hanekuro had to kick them out because he needed to clean out a few things from the attic. He walked up stairs and took out the ladder. He lined it up and climbed up to the moveable section of the ceiling.

He lifted himself into the closet and turned on the hanging light. He looked around at the large piles of boxes and looked over at the pile hi father had told him to throw out. None of them were very big so it would be easy to climb down with them. He began taking the boxes down and stacked them next to the wall.

He finished bringing them down and atarted taking them outside for the garbage truck to get them. He pilled them up next to the curb and soon only one was left. He picked it up but had a loose grip on it and it fell. He cursed when it landed on his foot and the contents spilled out. A few books fell out and Hanekuro picked one up out of curiosity. He flipped it open and smiled when he saw it was a photo album.

"Are you okay Master?" Ryudamon asked when he ran to Hanekuro. "I heard you scream."

"Yeah, I'm okay." Hanekuro answered as he flipped through the pictures. Several of them were pictures of his mother and father on dates or at their wedding but soon he came across baby pictures. And shortly after, kid pictures.

"What is that Master?" Ryudamon asked curiously.

"A photo album." Hanekuro answered quietly. He flipped through the pages and stopped when he saw a picture of himself and Ryou. They were both sitting at the dinning room table and Kaya was there too. All of them had ice cream and whip cream on them and were smiling widely. Kaya was adjusting her birthday hat and Ryou was getting ready to attack one of his presents. He smiled as tears filled his eyes and he remembered the happy time.

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"Who wants ice cream too?" their mother asked. Everyone jumped and shouted yes and hurray and plenty of other little kid things. Yosuya dished out three bowls of ice cream and brought them to the table along with three plates of small pieces of cake.

The three children dug into the sweets happily and messily. Before anyone was halfway done, their faces were covered in melted ice cream, cake crumbs, and frosting. Hanekuro laughed when Ryou threw his spoon down and stuck his face into his bowl. After that their parents intervened and tried cleaning them up. Ryou smiled when the cake and ice cream was finished and started reaching for a present.

"Hold on honey, let's take a quick picture." Yosuya insisted.

"Alright." Ryou grumbled as he Hanekuro and Kaya sat next to each other. They all smiled and Yosuya took the picture. Ryou grabbed a present and tried reading the name, but he was only five and was having a hard time with it.

"This one is from Hanekuro." Yosuya read it for him.

"I won it at school so I'm giving it to you." Hanekuro said with a smile. Ryou smiled back before tearing open the small wrapped package. He smiled when he saw a small statue made of translucent rainbow colored plastic bird statue. It was looked like an eagle getting ready to take off and was a few inches tall.

"Thank you!" Ryou yelled as he hugged his brother and Hanekuro hugged back. "You're the best brother ever!"

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"No I'm not." Hanekuro whispered to himself. "I was the worst. I was jealous of you. You had all the attention and I felt left out whenever you were around. But I still loved you, and it's my fault you're gone." Tears gently fell down his face.

"Master, why are you crying?" Ryudamon asked worriedly.

"It was my fault." Hanekuro cried. "The last thing Ryou said to me was that he hated me and he wished I wasn't his brother. I don't blame him. I was so mean to him nad I was envious of him. I was nothing but a jerk."

"Master, that's not true." Ryudamon consoled. "I'm sure Sir Ryou didn't mean that."

"Yes he did." Hanekuro cried as he wrapped himself up into a ball. "He's gone because of me. Mom and Dad separated because of me." Ryudamon hugged him and let him cry.

"No, it wasn't your fault Master." Ryudamon consoled. He stayed with Hanekuro until he calmed down and he put the books back into the box. "Why don't you go lie down, maybe watch some TV." He suggested as he picked up the box. "I'll take care of this."

Ryudamon took the box down the stairs and to the curb. He set it down next to the others and turned around. He stopped when a shine caught his eye. He looked over and saw a necklace that was the same as Celena and Jasper's, but this one was sky blue. He looked up when he heard a motorcycle zoom by and saw a man with brown hair riding it. Ryudamon took the necklace and ran back to the house. "Master! Master I found something important!" he shouted.

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"Hello and welcome to my families flower shop." Sakura greeted from the counter. The person who entered was wearing a helmet that entirely covered his face.

"Hello. I'm looking for something to give my girlfriend. Do you have any ideas?" he asked.

"Well roses are always good. They symbolize love." Sakura said. The man nodded and began looking around at the bouquets of flowers. He seemed to be looking for one in particular. "Do you need any help?" Sakura asked.

"Well I'm trying to find something romantic, but roses are a little too cliché. What else is good?" he asked. Sakura moved from behind the counter and searched around the groups of flowers.

"I have an idea." Sakura said. She walked around and led the man to a bouquet of deep red colored flowers. "Deep red carnations symbolize deep love and affection for another person." She said. The man frowned when he saw the red color and Sakura thought of another. "Well how about white carnations? They symbolize pure love and good luck."

"Perfect." The man said. Sakura took a combination of deep red carnations and some white ones as well. She created a bouquet from them and walked back to the counter. The man brought out his wallet and gasped when he dropped it and several coins fell out. He bent down and picked up the coins and gave Sakura the money fro the flowers. He nodded in thanks before leaving.

Shortly after, Mushroomon came out to the store. "Make any sales?" he asked.

"Yep. A guy just left and bought a bunch of red and white carnations for his girlfriend." Sakura said.

"What's this?" Mushroomon asked. Sakura raised and eyebrow and Mushroomon picked up a red necklace similar to Jasper's and Celena's. "That man was the guy!" he cried.

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'Oh man I'm nervous. There's no way I can do this.' Masurao thought, as he got ready for tryouts. He looked around at the people and saw several kids his own, or close to, his age. He looked over at the bleachers where a few older people were stuck watching for one reason or another.

Masurao sat down on one of the bleachers and sighed. He really wanted to be a part of the team, but he was worried of messing up. Being on this team was the most important thing to him at this point. He had always wanted the popularity that came with being on a sports team, or at least the popularity he thought came with it.

"Hay." A voice said from behind him. He looked up and grimaced when he saw Odoriko. "I got roped into watching my older brother tryout. I was waiting over there and then this guy came up to me and told me to give you this. He said it was a good luck charm or something." Odoriko said. She handed him a small box and Masurao wordlessly took it from her.

He opened it and gasped. Inside it was an orange necklace that looked like all the others. He looked around for the person that might have given it to Odoriko to give to him. He looked towards the entrance and saw a brown haired man looking at him, but he couldn't really make out his facial details.

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Loaño opened the door to her room and let in Kidd, Kaya, and Koinumon. She sat down on her bed and sighed. "I cannot believe all of this crap is happening." She grumbled.

"I know. Talk about teenage stress." Kaya agreed.

"It's not that bad. It could be worse." Kidd growled.

"Not by much." Loaño grumbled. "Man this was probably so much easier for my grandparents."

"Your grandparents have digimon?" Koinumon asked.

"Yeah, my grandma and grandpa have digimon partners. They were part of the original team and they're always being forced to run all over the world and deal with digimon crap everywhere. All they really want to do is settle down and let Kidd and me come live with them, but they're too damn busy." Loaño explained.

"Oh, sorry for making you feel down." Koinumon apologized.

"It's okay, don't worry." Loaño said even though she still felt a little like crap. She looked at her nightstand and grabbed the dog tag necklace she always wore. She held it in her hands and sighed.

"Something wrong?" Kaya asked.

"No. It's just, this was a birthday gift on my ninth birthday. It was the last gift I opened and it was the last present I got from my mom and dad." Loaño explained. She could feel a tear coming to her eye as she looked down at the necklace. She let the tear drop down and it landed on the dog tag. She closed her hands over the necklace and felt it heat up a little bit. She opened her hands and gasped when it turned into a silver necklace that looked like the others.

"Oh crap." Kaya, Kidd, and Koinumon said when they saw it. Kidd and Koinumon looked up at the window and ran over to it. They were on the second story and looked down to the parking lot. Everyone gasped when they saw a brown haired man wave at them before putting on his helmet back on and driving off on his motorcycle.

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The brown haired man drove to the parking lot and took off his helmet. By now it was starting to get dark and he looked up at the night sky. He moved his short brown hair from his eyes to reveal brown eyes.

He got off the bike and made his way across the college campus and into his dorm. He unlocked his college door and threw his helmet on the floor. He smiled at the curled up digimon on his bed. But he sighed and remembered the flowers he bought. He went back out to his motorcycle and smiled when he saw someone leaning against it.

"Well, looks like I have a guest. Or rather two no doubt." The man said.

"No, he had to leave. Some test in the morning, or something. I just came over to make sure you aren't messing things up." The other man said. The only thing that could be made out about him in the dark parking lot was short black hair.

"You still have such little faith in me. Haven't I proved I'm more than capable of doing something right?" the man asked.

"Oh you have, but it's when everyone else is there making sure you don't kill yourself." His friend replied. "Any luck on finding the one we misplaced?"

"You mean the one you and your brother lost?" the man asked with a smile. "And you say I mess up."

"Oh shut up! You've had more than your fair share of total screw ups!" the man shot back. He grabbed the flowers from the sidecar and threw them at his friend. "Take these to your girlfriend and leave the lost one to my brother and me."

The man smiled as he turned around and walked away to give his girlfriend the flowers. However, his smile turned to a frown when he thought about his friend's screw up. It had cost them both the necklace, and one of their friends.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 18: The Last Gifts

"You said you had a plan Barbamon. What is it?" Lucemon demanded. "Arcadimon hatched, the Boss is planning ahead of us, and those wretched humans are giving the smaller humans their powers. How are we going to get at what we want?"

"Relax Sir. This is all a part of my plan." Barbamon answered. "Once all of the humans have their powers, we'll trick them into releasing what we want. It may be a minor set back now, but it will be made up for in the future."

"You'd better be right." Lucemon growled.

"I am. Besides, if all else fails, Daemon will just trick them and steal it." Barbamon answered calmly. "Although, now that I mention Daemon, where is he?"

"In his lab I think. Why?" Lucemon asked.

"I need to borrow something from him." Barbamon answered. Barbamon left the throne room and made his way down several dark and creepy halls. They were made of black stone and it was hard to see in the dim light. Barbamon continued walking down the halls and made several turns through the labyrinthine castle. Eventually he found a door on the end of a hallway. On it was a sign that said "Enter at your own risk."

Barbamon ignored the sign and waltzed right in. He looked around at the halls of shelves that were covered in all sorts of jars. The jars held numerous things from eyes, to mutated animals, to dark liquids, and several other creepy things that would take too long to write about.

He tried not too look at the thing that made even his Demon Lord stomach squirm as he made his way through the room. He turned to the right and walked to another door. He opened it and closed it quickly when he heard a tortured scream. "Wrong room. I always make that mistake." He muttered before moving to the left side of the room and opening the door.

This room was filled with a lot of tables and medical equipment. It was an operation room, but not for the bad kind of operating and experimenting. He made his way through that room, and past the prep room after it. He walked into a large room with several doors, the center of Daemon's lab.

He looked at the doors and headed for the third on the left. He walked through it and smiled when he came upon a door. He opened it and steeped into the bedroom. It was extravagantly decorated with a large four-poster bed, a large dresser with a lamp on it. A smaller bed was next to the large one and a small gray digimon was curled up on it. On the bigger one sat a figure wearing a black cloak. He was leaning against the back of his bed and was remaining motionless.

"What do you want?" the figure asked quietly.

Barbamon's grin widened as he said "Your master, Daemon, has requested you help me with an urgent matter." Barbamon answered. The figure and the digimon stood up and walked to Barbamon, waiting for him to lead them and tell them what he needed. Barbamon led them out of the room and down the halls.

The figure and the digimon wordlessly followed him, but were taking in every word they were told. "I need you to deliver a message." He ordered before telling the two his message. The two nodded in understanding and Barbamon opened a portal and sent them through.

"Barbamon!" Daemon shouted when he entered the room just in time to see Barbamon send his two assistances to the human world. "Where did you send them!? Who gave you permission!?" he roared angrily.

"Watch your temper now, you know what happens when you get really pissed." Barbamon warned. "We had to rebuild part of the castle, remember?" Daemon was glaring at Barbamon and was so angry he was shaking. It took a lot to anger Daemon, but when you did you were as good as dead.

Daemon began taking deep breaths and tried to calm himself. He leaned against the wall and started lightly counting to ten. When he stopped he let out one last sigh and turned back to Barbamon. "Where, and why did you send them?" he asked calmly.

"Human world, to send a message to some of our leaders old friends." Barbamon answered with an evil smile.

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"You're buying more manga?" Koinumon asked.

"Yep." Kaya said as she looked through the shelves. She found the new ones she was looking for and grabbed them. "I love my manga." She said as she hugged the books to her face. "I really do." Koinumon ignored her partner's strangeness and walked with her to the bookstore's counter.

Kaya piled the books on and the cashier smiled. "More manga, Kaya?" he asked.

"Yep. You gotta love the manga." Kaya said as she took her wallet from her skull-design covered purse and handed the man the money. She walked to the exit and a man that was coming in opened the door for her and let her out onto the bust street. "Thank you." She and Koinumon said. The man nodded and walked into the store.

Kaya walked down the busy street with Koinumon. She saved up money from odd jobs and such to be able to buy the new manga at the end of every month. She could no longer resist the temptation of the books and brought one out and read it as she walked. A strange noise in the bag caught her attention.

She reached back into the bag and pulled out a gray necklace. Kaya and Koinumon stared at it in shock before realizing something important. The man looked to be 19 and had brown hair! "It was him!" they shouted before running back to the store, but he was no longer there.

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Adam went out with Celena and Haseo to show Arcadimon the city. Arcadimon oohed and awed at everything and everyone was a having a good time. They had stopped and bought ice cream and were all currently on there way home. Adam continued telling Arcadimon all sorts of things and the spider-like digimon was taking it all in, as he licked the ice cream he had between his two claws.

"Hold on guys, I need to stop here and pick up a few groceries for mom." Celena said. The group walked into the store and searched around for the things for dinner. They found the ingredients and went to the cash register. While Celena was paying, Adam and Arcadimon went and looked at the small prize dispensers.

"What's this thing?" Arcadimon asked as he tapped the plastic square filled with colorful capsules.

"A prize dispenser. You put a coin in and you turn this thing. Then a prize goes from the box to latch right here." Adam explained.

"Can we get a prize?" Arcadimon asked excitedly.

"Sure, let's go ask Celena." Adam answered. They ran back to Haseo, Celena, and their partners. "Can we have money for the prize thing please?" Adam begged. "Arcadimon wants a prize."

"I guess so." Celena said. She handed Adam a coin. Celena looked over and was surprised when she saw Haseo caring the bags. "I can get them myself." She said.

"I know, I just want to help." Haseo said. Celena smiled and Lunamon rolled her eyes at Haseo's predictability. Adam took off excitedly and pulled Arcadimon with him. He put the coin in and Arcadimon tried to spin it, but his claws wouldn't let him. Adam smiled at his partner's growing disappointment before he spun the crank for him. A blue capsule popped out and Arcadimon looked at it excitedly. Adam tired to wrestle it open but it slid from his hands and rolled to the ground and away from them.

He and Arcadimon ran after it, but Adam had to help Arcadimonafter he fell again. He helped his partner up and Arcadimon let Adam run after the ball. Everytime he tried to grab it, it would be pushed further away. He continued chasing it until he plowed into someone. He fell back and grunted in pain when he landed on the ground painfully.

"Sorry, I was running after my prize." He apologized to the man. He looked up at him and smiled when the man wordlessly handed Adam the capsule. "Thank you!" he cried before running back to the group.

"Where were you?" Dorumon asked.

"I had to chase after my our prize." Adam answered. He managed to wrestle it open and gasped. He took out a yellow necklace that matched the others.

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Rai, Jasper, and their partners sat in the living room and were watching TV. Jasper was playing a game of chess with Hawkmon and was trouncing him in every sense of the word. Hawkmon stared at the bored as Jasper watched the TV. Hawkmon hesitantly moved one of his claws to a piece, but withdrew it.

Rai watched Hawkmon with a smile. Hawkmon had always wanted to beat Jasper at chess, but never had. In all honesty, Rai doubted he ever would. He got up when he heard the doorbell and walked to the front door. He opened it and saw a man holding a package and a clipboard.

"I need you to sign this." The man said. He handed Rai the clipboard and he signed it. He took the box and the man nodded and tipped his hat and showed his brown hair Rai closed the door and brought the box inside and set it on the kitchen counter. He opened it and took out a folding chess board and a card.

"An early birthday present for Jasper. Love, Grandma and Grandpa." The card said.

"Jasper!" Rai called. Jasper ran into the room and smiled brightly when he saw the chessboard, He grabbed it from his brother and went to play another game with Hawkmon. Rai was about to throw out the box when he noticed a small wrapped up package. He took it out and unwrapped it to reveal a green necklace like the others. He knew his grandparents didn't send this, but then remembered.

The deliveryman had brown hair.


	19. Chapter 19

I have a poll on my profile for this story

I have a poll on my profile for this story. It's VERY important and I won't update again until I get a few votes on it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 19: Digisoul, Charge!

"It's time." Lucemon said. "You go to the human world, and make sure our plan works!"

"Yes sir." The five cloaked figures and there digimon replied.

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Celena, Adam, Haseo, and their partners left the store shortly after Adam got his necklace. Celena immediately rushed to the phone to call everyone and ask if a similar event had happened to them. Haseo, Adam, and their partners meanwhile, were more interested in a small box that was on the dining room table.

It was about a foot tall and wide Haseo estimated. Normally a package would hardly raise his interest, but it had been sent to him. Dorumon used his claws to cut the tape and Haseo opened the box. "What is it?" Adam asked excitedly, expecting it to be a toy or video game of some sort.

Haseo dug through the packaging material and bubble wrap. Inside the box were several smaller boxes, each one a different color. Haseo took them out one by one as he found them. Then at the very bottom of the big box was an envelope that he pulled out.

"A card? Is it your birthday Haseo?" Adam asked.

"No Adam, it is not my birthday." Haseo answered, although he wasn't really paying attention. He took the card Adam had predicted out of the envelope. On the front was a picture of a black bat that had a speech bubble saying "For you!" Haseo opened it and read the neat handwriting inside.

"Dear Haseo, Dorumon, and friends. I apologize for not bringing these the other day but Argomon's lab hadn't finished them yet. Inside of each of these boxes are digivices for each of you. By focusing a bit of your digisoul you can use these to help your digimon evolve to their Adult forms, and possibly further… Sincerely, The Boss."

Adam looked at the lined up boxes. There were pink, black, yellow, silver, orange, blue, green, gray, red and purple boxes. Each one was marked with a name. Adam took the yellow one and opened it. He rolled the small white devices into his hand and looked at it. "This is it? It looks so small." He commented. Arcadimon looked over his shoulder at it with interest.

Haseo took the black box and opened it to reveal a similar device. He held it gently in his hands as he looked over the smooth screen. Dorumon looked at it and brought his nose up to it and sniffed it. "Celena!" Haseo called towards the kitchen.

"Yeah?" she asked as she leaned over in the kitchen so she could see into the dining room. She saw the boxes and walked over to the table. She grabbed the pink box and took out her digivice. "Wow." She said, "We get our own digivices? I guess we're officially a team now."

"And you're the leader." Lunamon said proudly.

"I think you should call everyone back and tell them to come over." Dorumon suggested. Celena nodded before pocketing her digivice and walking back into the kitchen. Arcadimon, still looking over Adam's shoulder, reached out a claw and poked the digivice.

"Don't' you'll scratch the screen." Adam scolded.

"I'm just curious. How do we know that tiny thing even works?" Arcadimon asked. He brought his claw back and was now completely leaning against Adam.

"Arcadimon, you're heavy. Get off!" Adam cried before Arcadimon's combined height and weight knocked him over. The both landed with a dull thud, Adam's head narrowly missing the edge of the table. His digivice rolled under the table and Adam tried to reach over and grab the small machine.

As Adam struggled to grab his digivice, Haseo opened the other boxes and examined the others. He put them back in their boxes before taking another one out to avoid any cliché mix-ups. As far as he could tell, there wasn't anything different from the digivices. "So then why did the Boss be sure to send each one in a different box?" he asked.

"Maybe there's some reason that we can't see on the outside. Maybe it's something about the insides." Dorumon suggested.

"I suppose." Haseo answered as he put the gray one back in it's box and lined them all up again. The doorbell ringing got his attention and he went to answer the door. Jasper, Rai, and their partners stood on the other side. "Come in." Haseo invited with a smile.

"So where are these weird machine things?" Jasper asked.

"On the table." Haseo answered. The group walked back into the dining room and Jasper and Lockheed looked down at Adam in confusion. They bent down and looked under the table, along with Adam and Arcadimon.

"Hi Adam!" Lockheed cried. Both Adam and Arcadimon jumped up and hit their heads on the table. The both grabbed their heads in pain and Adam glared over at Lockheed with slightly tearful eyes. "Hi Lockheed." He hissed angrily.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Jasper asked.

"Arcadimon made me drop my digivice and we're trying to find it." Adam answered. The four of them continued looking but couldn't find it anywhere. Meanwhile, Lunamon floated just above the table looking at a digivice she had seen drop onto the floor.

"Haseo, are there any missing?" she asked as she held it up.

"I do not think so." Haseo said a little worriedly He quickly checked each box and realized it was Adam's missing digivice. "Lunamon found your digivice Adam." He said as he bent under the table and looked at the four under it. Adam quickly scurried out from under it and grabbed his digivce from Haseo.

"Thanks!" he said. Celena entered the room and greeted Rai and everyone else. "They should be here soon." She said. "Everyone was ready to come over anyway since we planned on investigating the park."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Dorumon said.

"Why?" Hawkmon asked.

"If it takes too long for everyone to get here, then it may be dark by the time we get to the park. There are many dark digimon that are able to take advantage of the night. In fact, Lunamon is one of them." Haseo answered as he looked out the window at the orange sky. "It would be a mistake to go to the park at night."

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"So you delivered all of them?" the young blonde haired lady asked. Her blonde hair fell to between her shoulder blades and she moved a strand of her long bangs from her eyes. "And to all of the right people?"

"Why is it that everyone expected me to mess this up?" the brown haired young man asked in comical anime-style depression. "Do I really mess up that often?"

"Kind of." The young woman's digimon partner answered. She was half the size of one of the main group's digimon. She was a large butterfly, covered in silky, pure white hair and with rainbow colored wings behind her. She had large sapphire blue eyes and two small brown antennae on the top of her head. Her mouth was hidden from view by the soft hair.

"You guys are mean." The man replied. The woman sighed tiredly, but had a smiled on her face. She parked the car they were in and got out. She walked around and opened the back door and let her partner, Chomon out. The young man got out and waited for the other two. They walked into the apartment complex and rode the elevator up to the third floor.

"So when are the others going to be here?" the man asked.

"Pretty soon if they're not already waiting at my door." The young woman answered. "Oh crap! I forgot my purse in the car." she said as she handed the man the keys. "Here, let yourself in so you don't have to wait. I'll be right back." The man took the keys and walked to the apartment with his friend's partner floating next to him.

"So, where is your partner?" she asked.

"He's not feeling well. I think he ate something that didn't agree with him." The man answered. He opened the door to his girlfriend's apartment and smiled when he caught he light scent of the flowers he had given her. He sat back on the sofa and waited for his girlfriend to come in.

Meanwhile, the young woman rode the elevator back down and walked out to her car. She used her car key, which she had separated from her house key, and opened her door. She bent into the car and failed to hear the light footsteps coming from behind her. She grabbed her purse and withdrew from her car. When she closed the door, she gasped in horror when she saw a cloaked figure on the reflection of her car door's windshield.

She slowly turned back and looked at the cloaked figure in fear and sadness. Next to him stood a gray-furred bear digimon. He had a blue cap on his head that read POLAR in white and blue bracers that wrapped around his wrists and stretched over to his middle fingers. "You." The woman whispered.

"I have a message from the Demon Lords." The figure started. He sounded like a young boy, but his voice was hushed and slightly rougher than it should have been. "They sent me to warn you, and your group. If you continue meddling in our affairs, then you will all be punished much sooner and more severely than originally intended. If you behave and stay out of our business, then we might let you live. But if you do not."

The bear digimon jumped forward and punched in the trunk of the young woman's car. She gasped in shock and horror when she saw how ruthlessly the two threatened her and ruined her car. "Something like that will happen." The figure finished. He turned away and the bear followed loyally.

"Please, stop!" the young woman cried. Tears started falling down her face and she dropped to her knees. "Please, you don't have to go back to the Demon Lords. I know it hurts to loose people close to you, but why are you working for the Demon Lords? Please, come back to us." She begged. The figure looked back at the crying girl and for a short instance, he seemed to want to console her. However the moment quickly passed and he continued walking away with his partner.

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The team made their way down the streets and towards the park. Despite Haseo's protests, everyone was too impatient to wait for the next day. If there was a chance of stopping what was going on, then they wanted to take it. And they needed to test the digivices.

They walked into the park and into the clearing filled with flowers. Everyone stopped and looked around. Nobody was entirely sure how to test the digivices. Finally Hanekuro stepped forward with Ryudamon. "When Kaya, Loaño, and I were attack by Golemon Koinumon and Kidd teamed up to beat him. After he was destroyed he dark digivolved to BoulderDramon and attacked us. My mother took out a digivice, but it was different from these. She used her digivice and digisoul to evolve CrystalGatomon twice."

"So how do we do this?" Celena asked. "What did she do?"

"She took her digivice out like this." Hanekuro said as he held his digivice forward. "And she used her digisoul by energizing the top of it." He said as he put his hand on top of it. "You guys said Haseo was the one who showed you what digisoul is. So it sounds like he's the best and using it so far. I think you should try it first."

"Me?" Haseo asked as he pointed to himself. Everyone agreed and Dorumon walked forward so he wasn't in the way of everyone. He nodded to Haseo, and he nodded back. Haseo put his digivice forward and his right hand began glowing white. "Digisoul, Charge!" he cried as he energized his digivice.

"Dorumon shinka, Dorugamon!" the larger fur covered dragon cried. "It works!" he yelled as he pumped his fist up and spread his wings. Haseo let out a sigh of relief and everyone else cheered.

"Not bad!" a voice yelled approvingly. On the other side of the field were five cloaked figures, as well as several smaller cloaked figures. "Looks like you all finally figured out how to digivlove!" the figure at the front cried. Judging by the voice and size, she was a girl about the same age as them.

"I wonder how they'll fare against a Perfect digimon." Another cloaked girl wondered. She snapped her fingers and a large portal opened in the sky. A large blue skeleton monster landed on the ground. It was far larger than the other digimon they had faced before. It was pure blue bones with wings on it's back and long canine teeth. It's red eyes glowed brightly with anger and it stood on all fours.

"Who the hell are they!?" Loaño cried.

"And what the hell is that?" Masurao asked as he pointed at their enemy.

"SkullBeluchimon, a Perfect level Undead type digimon." Haseo answered. "I think this is an appropriate time for you to evolve as well."

"Right." Kaya agreed. Everyone took out there digivices and form there differently colored digisoul. "Digisoul, Charge!" they cried. However, Loaño didn't and stood back a bit. Kidd smirked at her before jumping next to Dorugamon.

"GinRyumon!"

"Shurimon!"

"Lekismon!"

"Lobomon!"

"Arcadimon Champion!"

"Woodmon!"

"InuDramon!"

"Coredramon!"

Haseo took out his bow and prepared an arrow. Jasper stood next to him and whispered, "Wait for my signal." Haseo nodded in understanding and made sure to always keep his aim between Beluchimon's eyes. "Listen up guys, I'm acting as strategist so follow my orders!" Jasper yelled.

"Grave Bone!" roared Beluchimon as he lifted a claw and attempted to slash at the digimon. Most of them were barely able to dodge the attack, but Woodmon and Kidd were both hit down.

"InuDramon, distract him!" Jasper ordered.

"Reaving Sphere!" InuDramon cried as she launched an energy sphere at the large bone monster. It hit his side and he hardly took any notice.

"Everyone but Lobomon, Haseo, Lockheed, and Woodmon attack! Try to hold him still!" Jasper commanded. Lekismon jumped forward and planted both feet in it's forhead and kicking off. Balouchimon was knocked back slightly and GinRyumon quickly followed up and cried "Battle Rod Breaker!" as he slammed his glowing tail into the bone monster's forehead. Balouchimon was knocked back further and roared in surprise when he felt Arcadimon and Inudramon attempting to hold him back by his hind leg. The other digimon soon followed and Lekismon froze his foot to the ground.

"Now!" Jasper cried.

"Licht Kugel!" Lobomon cried as he shot a beam of light between Baluchiemon's eyes. It roared in rage and tried to charge ahead in a straight line. Jasper smiled as Baluchiemon's single-minded nature helped his plan.

"Blue Flare Breath!" CoreDramon roared as he blew sapphire blue flames at Baluchiemon's forehead. It roared in anger as it felt it's hard outer bone melt away to reveal the softer marrow. "Now Haseo!" Jasper yelled as Baluchiemon tried to charge at them. Haseo let the arrow fly and it embedded itself in Baluchiemon's forehead.

"Now finish it Woodmon!" Sakura cried.

"Wood Smasher!" Woodmon cried as he jumped up and used his larger tree trunk like arms to slam the arrow further into Beluchiemon's face. The monster gave one more roar of rage before succumbing to the combination of attacks and falling over. It glowed brightly and turned back into a digitama.

"Not bad." A boys voice said from behind one of the cloaks. "But now you need to deal with the five of us!"


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 20: The Dark Tamers! Part 1

"Just who are you guys?" Celena asked.

"And how were you able to bring in Beluchiemon?" Lekismon added.

"We're allies of the Demon Lords." The first girl said.

"For one reason or another we've joined up with them. We act as their eyes and ears in the human world." The other girl said.

"And when they have a few pesky enemies to deal with that the normal lackeys just can't take care of," the boy said.

"We take them out." Another boy said. The fifth figure stood between all of them and remained silent.

"Well then, I guess we have to fight." Masurao said.

"Yeah, bring it punks!" Loaño shouted.

"I suppose we have to take care of them." One of the boys said as he and his partner stepped forward. "Could we please move to another area?" he asked. "I don't want to mess up the flower field here. I want to make sure it's in tact for my friend when she sees it again."

Kidd and Lobomon looked at each other and nodded. "Fine then. Let's move to another field." Lobomon agreed. He picked up Masurao and Kidd picked up Loaño and they ran to another area with their human enemy and his partner close behind.

"That Ryuko. He's always thinking about that girl." One of the girls said with what sounded like a smile in her voice. "It's kind of sweet, isn't it?"

"No." the boy replied.

"Well of course you don't." the other girl replied. "Although, he's right. I like this place and I would prefer you guys didn't get in my fights way. The emo girl and the black haired boy. Follow us and we'll have our fight." Hanekuro and Kaya looked at each other wearily before following the girl and her partner, with their partners close behind.

"Oh man, everyone's leaving. Maybe we should split up too." The other girl suggested to her partner. The digimon nodded and said, "I want to play a game. How about the two little boys come with us. That way Hosshi's meanness won't ruin it."

Jasper and Adam were both carried by their partners who followed the cloaked girl and her partner. Rai and Celena watched worriedly as they did. "Do not worry. Those two are very strong and they have their partners. For now we should be more worried about that silent one. There is something very sinister about him."

"No. You should be worried about me." The labeled as Hosshi said. His two digimon threw off their cloaks. One was a brown animal with smoke for hind legs. The other was a large white egg with green dinosaur legs.

"I am Digitamamon!" the egg cried.

"And I am Tapirmon!" the animal cried.

"Rai, Sakura, you two take this guy. Haseo and I will worry about the last one." Celena said. Her two friends nodded in agreement and there partners went in for an attack.

"Branch Drill!" Woodmon roared as his lower arms formed into a spear and he attempted to attack Tapirmon. The small animal digimon dodged the attack and formed a black cloud of energy.

"Nightmare Syndrome!" it cried as it show a black demon at Woodmon. Woodmon used his two larger limbs to block the attack. He energy demon disappeared and Woodmon swung his arms down and cried "Wood Smasher!" as he hit the tapir away.

"Double Stars!" Shurimon followed as he threw his two shuriken at Tapirmon.

"Egg Shell Shield!" Digitamamon yelled as he jumped in front of the stars and closed into his eggshell. The two stars were deflected and Tapirmon jumped onto the egg. "Double Nightmare Syndrome!" they cried as Tapirmon fired a dark energy demon and Digitamamon fired a bigger demon from the eye opening in his shell. The two attacks combined to a larger phantom and hit both digimon into the trees. The pair of digimon and Hosshi quickly followed.

"Good luck guys." Sakura said before running after Rai and their partners. Dorugamon and Lekismon stared at the small digimon and his partner. The figure took out his digivice and formed a black digisoul. He energized his digivice and his digimon threw off it's cloak.

"Grizzmon!" it roared. It stood as a tall grizzly bear with white and blue striped fur. It's claws were covered in red gloves. The claws poked out of them and he had a fuzzy blue tail. It's yellow eyes glared at them with malicious intent.

"Compared to that Perfect level we just beat, these guys should be easy!" Dorugamon yelled as he charged at the bear. "Metal Bomb!" Dorugamon cried as he shot a cannonball at the bear. It exploded when Grizzmon tried to hit it away and Dorugamon used it as a cover it strike Grizzmon with his claws. He gasped when his plan failed and Grizzmon picked him up in his large claws. Grizzmon roared as he thre the dragon at Lekismon.

Lekismon used her powerful legs to jump out of the way and landed gracefully. "Moon Night Bomb!" she cried as she threw a sphere of glittering ice. Grizzmon hit it away but it froze his claw in a block of ice. "Moon Night Bomb!" she cried again and froze Grizzmon's feet. "Moon Night Kick!" she cried as she jumped forward. Grizzmon brought up his unfrozen claw to defend against the attack. Lekismon landed and Grizzmon pushed back with equal force to Lekismon's kick. Lekismon landed in front of Grizzmon and was suddenly hit back by a sonic roar from Grizzmon.

"Why aren't we winning?" Celena asked frantically.

"Because our partners are still a little tired from their previous fight. And we had more fighters against Baluchimon." Haseo answered grimly. "This battle will prove to be very difficult."

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"Double Stars!" Shurimon cried as he threw two shuriken at the egg and tapir.

"Egg Shell Shield!" Digitamamon cried as he withdrew into his shell and Tapirmon jumped behind him. "Double Nightmare Syndrome!" they both cried as they launched a combined phantom of energy. Shurimon jumped away in time to dodge the attack and landed in a tree branch.

"Branch Drill!" Woodmon cried as he spun his lower arms into a spike and attempted to strike Tapirmon. Once again he jumped behind Digitamamon who became a shield to deflect the attack.

"Damn, this isn't working!" Sakura cursed. "We have to separate those two somehow."

"It's pointless." Hosshi said. "Their combination is unbeatable for low-level trash like them. You may as well just sit back and accept the sweet embrace of death."

"Never!" Rai yelled.

"Ninja Star!" Shurimon cried as he threw his larger shuriken from his back. The blade was deflected again by the egg and landed with one of it's points in the ground. "Double Stars!" Shurimon cried as he threw two more shuriken, but they bounced off uselessly.

"Double Nightmare Syndrome!" the two yelled as they sent a large dark phantom. The attack hit both of the digimon and hit them down. Woodmon struggled to stand up and charged recklessly at Digitamamon.

"Woodmon, wait!" Sakura cried.

"Wood Smasher!" Woodmon cried as he brought up his large trunk arms and slammed them on top of Digitamamon.

"I thought you would have learned by now that my defenses are absolute. You have no hope of winning." Digitamamon said triumphantly.

"Yeah, so give up before we have to finish you off!" Tapirmon said from behind his friend.

"This is bad." Sakura said.

"Not really." Rai said quietly. Shurimon looked down from the tree he was perched in and looked at his partner in curiosity. "When he uses that shield move he can't move. If we use Woodmon to distract him, then Shurimon can take out Tapirmon. Then we can focus on Digitamamon."

"Good idea. A plan worthy of Jasper." Shurimon commented.

"Alright, go for it Woodmon! Take him out!" Sakura cried.

"Wood Smasher!" Woodmon cried as he charged at Digitamamon and brought both of his larger arms around from the side and trapped Digitamamon.

"Now Shurimon!" Rai commanded.

"Ninja Star!" Shurimon yelled as he jumped off the branch and grabbed his larger shuriken. He jumped up and threw the blade at Tapirmon who was crouched behind Digitamamon. Tapirmon looked up in surprise and waited for the blade to strike. However, the blade never came and he felt a warm liquid drop onto his nose.

"Oh!" Sakura gasped.

"No way." Rai said in surprise.

"Hosshi." Tapirmon said quietly. The boy had moved in the way of the spinning blade, which had left a large cut in his back. He weakly stood up and his hood fell back to reveal a pale and gaunt fifteen-year-old boy with short black hair and red eyes.

"I couldn't stand to see someone else precious to me get hurt." The boy gasped before falling over on his side. Tapirmon felt tears form in his eyes and he weakly nudged Hosshi's face like a dog would.

"Hosshi!" Digitamamo cried. He poked his legs back out and turned around and looked worriedly at the boy. Tapirmon picked him up and set him on Digitamamon. "We'll be back!" Digitamamon cried. A dark portal opened up and they retreated inside. Tapirmon gave one last look to Sakura and Rai before following through the portal. Both of the digimon reverted to their Child forms and sat back with sighs of exhaustion.

"I wonder." Sakura said quietly. "Why are they helping the Demon Lords?"

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"Let's play a game!" the cloaked digimon said.

"That cat is starting to bug me." Adam muttered. "Take it out Arcadimon!" Arcadimon hissed as it launched it's arms forward and attempted to wrap the two cloaked figures up. They both jumped to the side and the human pulled out a digivice. She formed a black digisoul in her hand and energized her digivice. "Digisoul, Charge!"

The digimon threw off the cloak to reveal a cat digimon with insect wings. She was striped black and yellow and had to long black antennae. "Cirrucimon shinka, NeoCirrucimon!" she cried. She became a large tiger and spread it's insect like wings. It's claws sharpened and it glared at Arcadimon and Coredramon. "Thunder Roar!" she cried as she sent a storm of lightning from her mouth.

"Move!" Jasper yelled. The two digimon jumped out of the way of the attack and fired their own.

"Blue Flare Breath!" Lockheed cried as he blew a storm of blue fire at NeoCirrucimon. The cat jumped away and was attacked from behind by Arcadimon's claws. She slammed into the ground and meowed in pain. She got back up and growled menacingly.

"Oh no, this isn't good." The girl warned said. "When NeoCirrucimon gets really mad, she starts to let loose all of her electricity. She starts by charging it up which spikes out her hair. Then she fires it in one big concentrated beam."

"Thunder Devastation!" Neo Cirrucimon roared as it fired a beam of yellow energy from her mouth. The energy beam hit Lockheed and Arcadimon down and caused a large explosion on contact. The two digimon went rushing down to the ground and landed painfully.

"This isn't good." Adam said worriedly. "Do you have any ideas Jasper?" he asked.

"Not this time." Jasper answered worriedly. "I'm fresh out."

"Well than let's go wild!" Lockheed roared as he and Arcadimon charged forward. "Blue Flare Breath!" Lockheed roared as he launched a sapphire blaze at NeoCirrucimon. The tiger jumped above the blaze and Arcadimon launched it's arms uop at her.

"Thunder Roar!" she cried as she launched a stream of thunder at Arcadimon. He jumped to the side and wrapped his arms around NeoCirrucimon. "Static Mane!" she cried as she began glowing wildly. Arcadimon hissed in pain as he was electrocuted and dropped NeoCirrucimon.

"I have an idea!" Jasper yelled. He whispered his plan to Adam. Adam nodded and jumped up on Arcadimon's shoulder and translated the plan while Jasper told Lockheed. The dragon shuddered but nodded in understanding. "It's the only way." He said before charging at NeoCirrucimon.

NeoCirrucimon began sparking again before roaring "Thunder Devastation!" She fired a large bean at Lockheed but he jumped up and took flight. He flew down at NeoCirrucimon from above.

"Now Arcadimon!" Adam commanded. Arcadimon sent out his claws and wrapped up Lockheed. He used one of his claws to touch Lockheed's reversed dragon scale under his neck and the dragon began glowing bright red. "What on earth?" NeoCirrucimon and her tamer asked in confusion.

"Gekirin Shurunen 2!" Lockheed roared and began firing large red laser bullets at NeoCirrucimon. He hit the cat several times and knocked her back. She reverted to Cirrucimon and mewed weakly. Lockheed continued to roar and fire energy billets everywhere but Arcadimon kept a firm grip on him until he calmed down and reverted to Dracomon.

"Cirrucimon!" the girl cried as she ran over and picked up her partner. "Don't you worry you little punks. We'll be back and stronger than ever next time you see us!" she cried before a portal formed in front of her and she ran through.

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"Are you sure you want to fight?" the boy asked.

"Yeah." Kidd answered.

"Don't worry, we'll end this quickly." Lobomon said coldly.

"Wrong. We will end this quickly." The boy said as he took out his digivice. "Digisoul, Charge!"


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 20: The Dark Tamers! Part 2

"Are you sure you want to fight?" the boy asked.

"Yeah." Kidd growled.

"But don't worry, we'll end this quickly." Lobomon said.

"Wrong." The boy said as he took out a black digivice and formed a black digisoul. "Digisoul, Charge!" His partner threw off her cloak to reveal a pink cat digimon wearing a matching kimono. In a flash she stood as tall as Kidd or Lobomon with a white visor over her eyes. At her side was a long katana and she had fragile paper butterfly wings on her back. "Go get them Konoumon!" the boy cried.

The cat digimon swept her arms forward and let loose a powerful gust of wind with dancing paper butterflies within it. Lobomon and Kidd jumped away from the main gust of wind but the paper butterflies spread out and landed on them. They began glowing and suddenly exploded on them. Kidd and Lobomon were sent flying by the explosions but managed to land on there feet.

"This won't be easy." Lobomon said as he glared at Konoumon.

"What are you taking about? We'll take this cat out in no time at all." Kidd said confidently. Konoumon drew her blade and charged at the two digimon. Kidd caught the sword in his hands, but Konoumon anticipated that and let go of her sword. She spun around and kicked Kidd in the side of the head, causing him to let go of the sword and to go spiraling to the ground. In one fluid motion Konoumon spun around again, caught her sword, and aimed a strike at Kidd's heart.

"Licht Seiger!" Lobomon cried as he blocked the blade with one of his sword and slashed Konoumon's with his other. She pulled back and Lobomon took his chance to attack ferociously. He slashed again and again with his twin energy blades and Konoumon hardly had enough time to block. Lobomon smiled confidently when he trapped Konoumon's sword between his and threw it into the air.

"Licht Kugel!" Lobomon cried as he blasted her back with a ball of light energy from the gun on his wrist. Konoumon sidestepped the small bullet of light so it only grazed her kimono. She brought her arms forward and hit the light warrior back with a storm of wind and paper butterflies. All of the butterflies covered Lobomon and began glowing lightly.

"No! Lobomon!" Masurao cried

The butterflies exploded and Lobomon degenerated to Strabimon. The dog digimon collapsed from exhaustion and pain. He struggled to stand up but fell down unconscious. Masurao ran over and picked Strabimon up and glared at the cloaked boy.

"Why!?" he yelled. "Why the hell are you working for the Demon Lords?"

"For our own personal reasons. I know you hate me, and I don't blame you. But if we could, Konoumon and I would be fighting against them. But for the time being, we are enemies. There for, we must strike you down in the name of our loved ones." The boy answered. "Konoumon, finish them both off."

"No way! We won't go down that easily!" Loaño cried. "I don't know what your motives are, but I won't let you harm any digimon in the name of the Demon Jackasses!"

"Same here! Come one Pinky, let's go!" Kidd roared. "Knockout Punch!" Kidd charged at Konoumon and jumped above her sword strike. He brought his now glowing fist down on her face and punched her with bone-breaking ferocity. Konoumon was sent flying back into a tree and gasped when she struck it. She used her sword as a crutch to stand back up and was breathing heavily.

'What the hell was that?' the boy wondered. 'That girl and her partner. They're no ordinary sideline members of their group. What the hell was that power?'

Loaño smirked before dropping to her knees in exhaustion. "What the hell just happened to me?" she wondered as she panted heavily.

'Relax. I did that.' A voice echoed in her head.

'Who, or what, the hall are you?' she thought back.

'You could say I am your conscience. Although I am much more free-thinking than something tied to your brain. Although, I am technically tied to your brain.' The voice answered.

'You're making my head hurt.' Loaño mentally grumbled.

'I'll explain things later. For now, think of me as that tiny voice in your head telling you wrong from very wrong.' The voice replied before sinking back down into her subconscious.

"Are you alright?" Masurao asked.

"I don't know anymore." Loaño replied unsurely. She looked up to see Kidd panting as well, as if he were the one that had taken a rampaging wolf monster's fist to his face. Konoumon stood up and stared at Kidd and Loaño before sheathing her sword and reverting back to her Child form, Roninmon.

"I see." The boy said. "We are no longer capable of continuing. For now, this is good bye." He snapped his fingers and a black portal opened. The two of them stepped through it, leaving everyone in shocked silence.

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GinRyumon and Inudramon glared at their two enemies. The girl had yet to reveal herself, but her partner had. It was a small dragon digimon, similar to Ryudamon in shape. It wore red samurai armor that covered it's body and it's face, tail, and wings were a deeper red. Her eyes were a cunning, reptilian blue and she glared back at the four of them. Around her neck was a yellow collar.

The girl took out a black digivice and formed a black digisoul. "Digisoul, Charge!" she cried.

"Hanyoumon shinka, Youkaimon!" it roared. It was now a much larger dragon with a longe neck. It's scales and armor had completely fused together giving it a demonic appearance. It's wings spread out wide and had spikes on the edges of each segment. It's tail ended in a sharp spike and seemed to glow in the night. It's appearance was so frightening it would probably have made even a Pefect level piss itself.

"This won't be easy." Hanekuro predicted.

"No kidding." Kaya agreed.

"Reaving Sphere!" Inudramon cried as she launched and energy ball at the dragon. The dragon whipped it's tail forward and the ball exploded harmlessly without the tail even touching it. Youkaimon lashed with it's tail again and a cut appeared on Inudramon's paw. Inudramon jumped back, and hoped she was out of the dragon's attack range. She wasn't, as the dragon attempted to strike her again, however Ginryumon jumped in the way. "Ginryumon!"

"I'm alright, don't worry about me." He said as he stood back up. "It's only a scratch on my armor. Armor Piercing Blade!" he roared as he drew his sword in his mouth and charged. He jumped above the area where Youkaimon aimed whatever her tail did and slashed past her. Youkaimon brought her tail around to where Ginryumon landed in an attempt to hit him away from her. "Battle Rod Breaker!" he roared as he countered with his own tail.

"Supersonic Roar!" the dragon cried as she opened her mouth and let loose a devastating sonic boom. It forced Ginryumon to the ground and created a small crater. When she stopped roaring Ginryumon was stuck down in the crater by rocks that he had been pushed down on. They had risen up and fallen on him due to the force of the roar. "Killer Claws!" she roared as she swept her claws at Ginryumon and knocked him and the rocks back at Inudramon. Inudramon managed to catch Ginryumon and dodged the rocks.

"Are you okay?" Hanekuro asked worriedly. His partner struggled to his feet and shook his head to get rid of his dizziness and wake himself up. "I'm alright Master. I can still fight." He answered. He moved so Inudramon could stand up and glared at Youkaimon. Youkaimon swung it's tail forward and attempted to slash the two of them, but they dodged in time. A large gash appeared where they had been only seconds before.

"Battle Rod Breaker!" Ginryumon cried as he flipped through the air and slammed his glowing tail onto Youkaimon. Or at least, he planned to. Instead he was caught by Youkaimon's claw and was almost thrown back. However, Inudramon jumped at Youkaimon's face and with a cry of "Reaving Sphere!" blasted her with an up close attack, causing her to drop Ginryumon. Ginryumon landed and took his chance to grab his sword, which had been left in the crater.

He grabbed it's handle with his mouth and quickly jumped back at Youkaimon for another attack. Youkaimon saw it coming and slashed her tail. Again, it didn't hit, but Ginryumon was cut into whatever invisible force the tail used. He fell back and landed behind Youkaimon, nd Inudramon stood in front of her.

"The situation is to our advantage." Hanekuro said with a confident smile.

"Or so you think." The mysterious girl replied. "Now Youkaimon!"

"Heaven's Dragon Tail!" Youkaimon roared. She flew up in the air and slashed everywhere with her tail. A storm of cuts appeared on the ground, and Ginryumon and Inudramon were struck down by the attack. Massive cuts appeared on there backs and they were forced down to the ground.

"Ginryumon!"" Hanekuro cried.

"Inudramon!" Kaya yelled.

"Looks like we're finished here." The girl said coldly.

"No." Ginryumon gasped as he stood up. "I'm not done fighting yet. I won't let you hurt my master."

"That goes for me too. I will no let you hurt Kaya!" Inudramon roared. "Reaving Sphere!" She cried as she fired a ball of energy up at the flying dragon. The dragon slashed her tail and the energy away, but hadn't noticed Ginryumon hiding behind it. "Armor Piercing Blade!" he roared as he threw it up and through one of Youkaimon's wings. The dragon roared in pain and haphazardly glided back down to the ground.

"Youkaimon, move!" her partner cried. She turned just in time to see Ginryumon flying down from above, his glowing tail aimed for her face. "Battle Rod Beaker!" he roared as he slammed his tail into Youkaimon's face. She was knocked down to the ground and Ginryumon landed in front of the beast. "It looks like we win." He said victoriously as Youkaimon degenerated to Hanyoumon. The girl helped her partner up and wordlessly created a portal that they retreated into.

"Don't go after them Ginryumon." Hanekuro ordered. "We're not in any shaped to chase after them."

"Yes Master." Ginryumon replied before degenerating.

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Lekiskmon charged forward and attempted to kick Grizzmon back. She jumped and flipped forward in the air and planned to plant her feet firmally on Grizzmon's chest. However, the beast saw the attack coming and defended with his paw. He pushed her off of him and she landed in front of the large bear.

His claws began glowing brightly and he slammed them both onto Lekismon. She cried in pain as the heavy claws pushed her into the hard ground. Dorugamon jumped forward so that he was right in front of Grizzmon's face and cried "Metal Bomb!" as he fired a cannonball from his mouth. Grizzmon let go of Lekismon and shielded his face from the attack.

Lekismon jumped away from Grizzmon and followed up with her own attack. "Moon Night Bomb!" she cried as she formed a sphere of ice in her hands and fired it at the large bear. Rather than blocking the attack, Grizzmon let out a loud roar from his mouth, as well as a shockwave that sent the ice ball back at Lekismon. The rabbit digimon jumped away from her own redirected attack in time and prepared to attack again when there was an opening.

Dorugamon however, had no intention of waiting and charged forward. He jumped up in the air and attempted to slam his glowing tail down on Grizzmon, but the bear caught the dragon and threw him away. Lekismon saw this as her chance to attack and jumped forward. "Moon Night Kick!" She cried as she planted both of her feet on the bear's chest and kicked off with all of her might. However, rather than rocketing back into a tree like she thought, Grizzmon was barely hit back at all. She landed gracefully from her attack, but Grizzmon backhanded her into a tree.

"Crap! This is getting us nowhere fast!" Celena yelled angrily.

"No, it is getting us to a concussion very fast." Haseo corrected.

"Oh shut up unless you have an idea!" Celena snapped.

"I may have one." Haseo said as he aimed an arrow. He shot it and Grizzmon knocked it away. Haseo continued firing a volley of arrows at Grizzmon. At first Celena had no idea what he was planning, but then she saw Dorugamon getting up close and Lekismon right behind him.

"Metal Bomb!" Dorugamon cried as he fired a cannonball.

"Moon Night Bomb!" Lekismon cried as she fired a ball of ice.

The two attacks collided in the air and pelted Grizzmon with a storm of ice shards. The bear roared in pain and tried to protect himself but by then Dorugamon and Lekismon were already attacking from behind.

"Moonlight Shards!" they cried as they pelted Grizzmon from behind with another storm of icicles. Grizzmon let out one last roar before falling down in defeat and degenerating to his Child form. The cloaked figure stared at the small gray bear but remained silent.

"Now tell us just who are you and why are you working for the Demon Lords?" Celena asked. The figure ignored her and walked towards the small bear. Dorugamon jumped in his way but the figure easily sidestepped all of his claw attacks. He stood above his partner and knelt down in front of him.

"Bearmon." He whispered. "Please wake up. I can't live without you." He picked the small bear up and held him close to him. "Please, I promise I'll be stronger. Just wake up. I don't want to loose anyone again. I won't go through that pain!" he roared. His black digisoul suddenly surrounded the two of them. It was so dark it blocked out all of the light around them. When it was gone, everyone gasped at the monster before them.

"Callismon!" it roared in a voice that shook the ground. It was an even larger bear than before, as tall as Beluchiemon had been. It was a dark brown, almost black. It's left paw ended in sharp claws that cut through the air when he moved. His right paw was a metal hand with gun barrels for fingers. Crossed over his chest were rows of bullets for his claw. He snarled down at Haseo and Celena and aimed his gun claw at them.

"Rodeo Bullet!" he roared as his fingers sent beams of light out of them. Haseo and Celena both flinched as the lasers rained down on them. They waited for the lasers to obliterate them, but they looked up and say a large knight in red armor holding back the lasers. He slashed his sword and dispelled the lasers. The y looked over at the trees to see the brown haired man walk forward. He stared at Callismon and said "The Wind is my flame, the Ice Fang, my sword."


	22. Chapter 22

Well the poll seems to be doing well so I'll update again

Well the poll seems to be doing well so I'll update again. But seriously people, this is unbelievably important. It drastically alters the future of two of my characters, and potentially the story. Granted, when you check it you might not think so but trust me when I say it really does! Oh, and when I say the character name in the poll question, think super fanboy.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Isn't that obvious by now? I mean really, why do we have to put this on every chapter? Isn't it obvious nobody here owns any of the stuff we write about besides our OCs and stories? Well whatever…

Chapter 21: The Rebirth of the Death-X, Dance in the Moon's Spotlight Crescemon!

Callismon glared at the large dragon knight. It's red armor shone brightly despite the darkness around them. His head was an orange helmet that looked like a dragon. In his hands he held a large sword that had deflected the lasers. It's shoulders looked like black metal dragons, and it had guards that stretched over it's orange armor hands. It pointed it's sword at Callismon and said "If you don't stop, I'll be forced to kill you. Please, I don't want that weighing on my conscience."

Callismon snarled at the knight before charging at him. It grabbed the knight's sword with it's claw and struggled to push it away. The two struggled against each other before Callismon raised his gun arm and fired a barrage of lasers up close. The dragon knight jumped away before he could be hit and aimed his sword at Callismon. "Enryugeki! (Flaming Dragon Shot)" he cried as his sword began glowing. The golden lining of the blade snapped open and the blade itself shot forward as a bullet of energy.

The blade flew through the air and exploded when it made contact with Callismon. He roared in pain and rage as he was flown back, knocking down several trees when he landed. "We're going to have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow." The man said with a worried frown.

"What the hell? You come out of nowhere and you've been stalking everyone and you don't even acknowledge us?" Celena shouted. The man turned and gave her a happy smile.

"You're right, I'm sorry about that. I thought the Boss explained everything to you guys." The man said cheerfully.

"Then why the hell did you give us the necklaces in such a weird way?" Celena shouted again.

"Because it was more fun that way." The man answered with the same smile.

"I don't know you, but I can already tell I probably don't like you." Dorugamon growled.

"Ryu-nisan, he saved us. Don't be so rude." Haseo said.

"Look I know you guys are wanting some form of explanation but right now EmperorGreymon and I need to deal with Callismon." The man said. He walked over to Celena and handed her a note. "Give this to the girl at that apartment. She'll explain everything to you guys."

"Why can't you?" Lekismon asked.

"Because I can't beat Callismon without making a big uproar. This area is way to important to be destroyed so we need to move this battle somewhere else." The man answered. He walked next to EmperorGreymon and turned to him. "Ready to go home buddy?"

"If that's what we need to do, then I guess we don't have a choice." EmperorGreymon answered.

"You almost sound disappointed." His partner replied with the same smile from before.

"What can I say? I'm going to miss Chomon. Who knows when we'll see them again." EmperorGreymon said with a far off look in his eyes.

"What a minute! What do you plan on doing? Just who are you guys?" Celena asked frantically. Her chance at finally getting some answers was slowly slipping away from her. As the elected leader, she had to try to get all of these mysteries answered.

"You can call me Takuya." The man said as he turned and gave the four of them a thumbs up. Callismon stood back up and snarled at them before charging forward. EmperorGreymon swung his sword forward and there weapons clashed. EmperorGreymon struggled to push Callismon back but managed to do so. He pushed Callismon down and raised his sword into the air and cut a hole through the air. A portal was created from his slash and he threw Callismon into it. "It's time we fixed our mistake." Takuya said as EmperorGreymon picked him up and they followed into the portal. Before disappearing entirely Takuya called out, "Use the crests to unlock the seal! Once they're all united you can use their powers!"

"What did he mean by that?" Celena asked after the portal closed. "Who the hell was that guy?"

"Aside from his name being Takuya, I do not know." Haseo answered. "But his partner EmperorGreymon, I think I may have heard of him from somewhere. However, I can not be certain."

"Hey!" Adam yelled as he, Jasper and their partners rushed up to them. "What happened? We heard all sorts of loud explosions and stuff. Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah, for the most part. Let's wait until everyone's here before we explain what happened." Lekismon suggested. A few minutes later the group was together in the field of flowers. A gentle breeze blew through the cold night air aside from a few craters and knocked over trees, it didn't seem that anything had happened that night.

"I wonder where the police are." Masurao said.

"They're probably too scared to come check things out." Kaya answered.

"So what happened?" Rai asked.

"I think we should all explain our fights." Shurimon suggested. One by one every group told their stories. When everyone else was finished Celena and Haseo told what had happened to them. Everyone was surprised to hear the man had gone to the digital world, and that he had a partner. When everyone's stories were finished the group became silent.

After a few moments of silence Adam finally asked, "These necklaces are crests right? So we need to use these somehow to get at whatever the Demon Lords are after."

"That is what we came here to do in the first place." Sakura agreed. "But how do we use them?"

"Maybe we could use our digisoul. That seems to have worked out before." Hanekuro suggested. Everyone agreed and held their necklaces in there hand. Haseo and Dorumon stepped away from them closer to the middle of the field so they wouldn't be in the way. Everyone clasped their hand around their necklaces and used their digisoul. The necklaces began shining brightly and started floating in front of their wearers.

They broke from their strings and flew to different points around the field. Each one connected with each other with a beam of light and they formed a large glowing ring around the area. From the circle's edge, a deep darkness spread in until it reached the center. A few tentacles of the darkness rose up from the ground and rolled into a small black ball that floated in the middle of the circle. The rest of the area remained pure black, darker than the night sky above them.

"What is that?" Strabimon asked. Nobody seemed to know the answer and everyone remained quiet. Hesitently, Haseo and Dorugamon walked forward. He walked over to the floating black ball and saw something floating in it. He wasn't sure how he did, but he could see a necklace floating in the dark ball.

"Careful Haseo." Celena said worriedly from behind him.

Haseo nodded and slowly reached a hand into the dark ball. The darkness felt like water when he put his hand in it, as if he was reaching into a pool to grab something he had accidentally dropped. He grabbed the necklace and tried to pull his hand out, but the dark ball wouldn't let go and wouldn't move. Haseo tried again, and Dorugamon tried to pull him out from behind but it didn't work. The dark ball began shaking violently and suddenly black tentacles shot out of it and into Haseo's arm. Haseo gasped in pain as he felt the dark tentacles crawling under his skin.

He fell to his knees, and only then did the ball of darkness follow. However his hand remained trapped within it's dark prison. The group watched in horror as the dark ball grew more tentacles and surrounded Haseo in a large pitch-black cocoon. The darkness wrapped it's tentacles around Dorugamon and attempted to pull him closer. Dorugamon struggled against it but nothing worked.

"Come one guys, we need to stop that thing!" Hanekuro cried. The digimon charged forward and digivolved to their Adult forms if they weren't there already. Lobomon, Ginryumon, Shurimon and Woodmon tried to use their blades or branches to cut the tentacles but nothing worked. Meanwhile, Lekismon, Arcadimon, Lockheed, and Kidd tried to rip open or blast open the dark ball but nothing worked.

With a cry from Dorugamon the ball pulled the fur covered dragon off of his feet and into the ball. The digimon were all knocked back from the sudden force the ball exerted and rolled on the ground. The stood back up and everyone watched in horror as the ball began to take shape. When it finished everyone gasped when they saw the hellish creature it had become.

The main body of the large dragon was a pure and smooth black. It's talons were blood red and it's tail was silver with several blood red tentacles surrounding it. It had enormous blood red wings with several silver spikes on them. It's head was blood red and wore a large metal mask over it's eyes with a jagged horn sticking out of it with the top edge of it missing. Grasped within the monster's claws was a large black ball of swirling dark energy.

"What is that thing?" Woodmon shouted.

"I don't know, but something tells me it doesn't want to give us big hugs." Kidd answered.

"What happened to Haseo, and Dorugamon?" Celena asked.

"I think that thing is Dorugamon." Lekismon answered.

The monster let out a terrifying roar that shook the ground. It lifted it's head up on it's long neck and began creating a metal ball. It grew and grew until it was as big as himself. The group looked up in fear as the monster lowered it's head and the ball came flying down at them. The digimon immediately jumped into action and combined their attacks in an attempt to stop the large ball of death flying at them. The digimon struggled against it and used as much of their remaining strength as they could. In the end, the large cannon ball exploded and sent all of the digimon rocketing back to the ground in their Child forms.

"How the hell are we supposed to beat this thing?" Kaya asked.

"It wiped out all of our digimon in a single shot." Jasper said as he kneeled over Lockheed. "I don't think we can beat this thing."

Celena ran over and lifted Lunamon's head up onto her lap as she kneeled down to her partner. She felt tears flow down her face as she looked at her unconscious friend. Everything had gone so wrong so fast. She hugged Lunamon closer and started crying.

"Celena!" a voice cried out.

"Haseo?" Celena asked. He looked around at everyone else sitting or kneeling with their partners, but didn't see Haseo anywhere. Celena looked up at the large monster and gasped when she realized Haseo was somehow a part of that monster. "Haseo!" she cried.

"Help me." Haseo begged. "Ryu-nisan and I are trapped. Please, we need your help."

"But I can't. That stupid darkness is too strong." Celena cried.

"The Darkness is just as strong as the Light is. The Light can purify the tainted Darkness and heal it. Please Celena, be my Light." Haseo begged as his voice faded away. The dragon roared into the night and created another cannon ball. It grew and grew until it was bigger than itself and it threw the ball down at them. The ball flew down and exploded in a fiery death.

However, when the smoke faded a shield of light was surrounding the group. Celena's body was glowing with a light pink digisoul. It flowed on to Lunamon and she floated up, good as new. Celena held up her digivice and it glowed brightly as it changed shape. It turned into a pink rectangular digivice with white edging. It had a squre screen close to the top of it and three diagonal buttons on the lower bottom of it. Each of the buttons was a darker shade of pink. In between the screen and the buttons shone the white symbol of Light.

"I'll be your Light Haseo." Celena said quietly. "I promise, I'll purify the Darkness! Digisoul," she began as her pink digisoul focused on to her right hand. "Full-Charge!"

"Lunamon shinka, Crescemon!" she cried. She was a tall digimon with her face covered by a full metal helmet and her chord like ears were smaller than Lekismon's. Her strong rabbit legs were stronger and more muscular and she had metal boots on her feet. Her stomach and chest were covered in a blue material and in her two gloved hands she held her two weapons. The handles were attached to crescent blades, where they met in the center of the crescents. Each blade had a crescent moon with a smile on it's face.

"The Darkness that resides here has finally taken it's form and is using Haseo and Dorugamon. But do not fret, I will purify the darkness that is binding them and set them free!" Crescemon cried. "Lunar Dance!" she cried as she flashed away. She reappeared above the monster's helmet and slashed into it. The monster roared in pain and flew back. It swung it's tail forward in an attempt to skewer Crescemon, but she easily and gracefully dodged the attack and floated in front of her enemy.

"Nuova Luna!" (New Moon)" she cried as she rapidly slashed the air in front of her. The slices of the blades sent a storm of ice waves at the monster. It roared in anger as the blades froze his wings and he landed on the ground. Crescemon continued to pelt him with energy blades until he was entirely frozen. She lined her blades together and fired one more blade that sliced through the monster.

The ice exploded, and the monster turned into a storm of black dots. Haseo and Dorumon fell down to the ground as the black dots swirled around them. They landed lightly and the black dots converged above Haseo. They formed into a necklace like the others, but this one was black. It gently fell against Haseo's chest and he placed a hand over it. Celena rushed over to him and sat next to him. She put his head on her lap and began crying when he smiled at her before closing his eyes and falling asleep.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 22: Crests

"Celena please," Haseo begged weakly but was cut off by a spoon being shoved into his mouth. He inwardly sighed before swallowing the soup he had been fed and prayed to Yggdrasil nobody would walk in on them. A day after the events at the park, Haseo and Dorumon were still sick in bed. Their memories were fuzzy about what happened after the final necklace had appeared but they knew they did something bad. Haseo felt guilty over it and was prone to sulking, despite having no idea what they had done.

Currently, he was sitting up in his bed. Dorumon was curled up further down on the mattress; sound asleep and not all guilty for what had happened. He did remember that what ever that dark ball had been, it controlled them and they couldn't fight back. To Dorumon, that meant he wasn't to blame and neither was Haseo. "Open your mouth Haseo." Celena ordered. Hasero refused and she gave him an icy glare. He complied and Celena put another spoonful of soup in his mouth.

After the events had happened and Crescemon defeated them, they both fell terribly ill for the first day. They were hardly strong enough to stand on their own and slept nearly all day. Celena, despite their protests, had taken full responsibility for helping the two of them get better. This meant staying with them at all times, helping them around the house, and feeding them. She also decided that taking care of them was more important than school and that her teachers would understand.

"Celena, I am perfectly capable of feeding myself." Haseo said.

"Oh yeah?" Celena asked she stood up and moved Haseo's glace of juice on his bookshelf a few inches back. "Go ahead. Get your drink." Haseo leaned over, but the drink was just barely out of his reach. He glared at the glass before attempting to stand up. The minute he did, he began feeling light-headed and nearly collapsed onto the floor. Celena quickly caught him and redirected his weight so that he sat back down on the bed. "I told you." She said with a sympathetic smile. "Now stop being such a proud samurai, or whatever you think of yourself and let me help you."

"I prefer ninja if you really wish to use a term like those. Besides, you just enjoy wearing the nurse outfit." Haseo said as he got back into his bed. Celena was indeed wearing a pure white nurses outfit, complete with a hat that had a red cross on it. Celena smiled when she looked down at the outfit.

"What can I say? I thought it would be fitting. My dad is a doctor and he works at a hospital so how could I resist not asking him?" Celena answered. "Plus I look good in it."

"You certainly do." Haseo agreed. He blushed when he realized what he had said and Celena looked away embarrassedly. She sat back down on her chair and continued feeding her sick friend. The two sat there in peaceful silence until Haseo finished off the soup. Celena set the bowl down and when she looked back up she realized Haseo was staring at her.

"Something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"No." Haseo answered as he looked away. The two sat in a now awkward silence as they both looked everywhere in the room except at each other. Gradually their eyes were drawn to the others and they stared at each other. Haseo broke the silence first and asked, "Do you remember the other night when we almost…"

"Yeah. We were both kind of wrapped up in the moment. It's a good thing your brother sneezed or we might have actually ended up making contact." Celena said embarrassedly.

"Indeed. It is a good thing he was not as sick as he is today, back then. Other wise his nose would be far too congested and we may have done something we would regret." Haseo agreed.

"What do you mean regret?" Celena asked.

"I mean, we can not afford to be in a relationship. It would come as a hindrance to our mission and the Demon Lords may figure out a way to use it against us." Haseo explained.

"Oh, well I agree. Besides, even after everything its done it's not like we could even be a couple then, right?" Celena asked.

"Of course not. It could prove disastrous to the team." Haseo reassured. "There is not even a slight chance we could ever be a couple. No matter how much we may wish to be."

"Right. I mean even if we both really wanted to there's no way it would work out. The others might get nosey and it would probably end in disaster." Celena added. She put a hand on Haseo's shoulder and hugged him a little closer. "We should just be friends."

"I agree. If our relationship failed we would both be hurt." Haseo said as he and Celena subconsciously drew closer. "So I really don't think we should," Haseo slowly said as they grew closer and closer to each other. They Celena took her arm off of Haseo, not wanting him to feel trapped but still moving in. Their lips almost met, when suddenly the door flew open and they pulled away from each other.

"Hi guys!" Loaño yelled into the room. She immediately noticed the looks of embarrassment each of them had on their faces. "What's wrong? Did I interrupt something?" she asked.

"No Loaño, it was nothing." Celena said as she picked up the bowl and cup. She quickly walked out of the room, her face growing redder with each step.

"What happened?" Loaño asked.

"Nothing." Haseo answered. "Celena was just helping me eat. She was making sure I could feed myself."

"Then why were you guys so close?"

"I had some soup on my face." Haseo lied.

"Is there something going on between you and my cousin?" Loaño asked.

"No." Haseo answered.

"Well I wanted to come over and see how you were doing. You seemed pretty banged up the other night." Loaño said.

"I am doing well. I have been sleeping very much, but I have also been recovering." Haseo replied.

"That's good to hear." Loaño said. "Well I just wanted to pop by and see how you two were doing. See you later."

"Good bye." Haseo replied. Loaño left the room and Haseo let out a sigh. He had almost kissed Celena again. It seemed so wrong, and yet there was nothing he would rather do. Her smile, her voice, her attitude, her figure, everything about her was perfect. But they couldn't be a couple. They couldn't afford to be distracted like that. No matter how desperately Haseo wished they could be.

"Bye Lo!" Celena called from the kitchen. She rinsed out the bowl and glass before putting them in the dishwasher. She leaned against the counter and sighed. She had almost kissed Haseo again. It was insane. She and Haseo were great friends, but they were not couple material. Haseo was far to strange, and yet it was what she loved about him. He was so polite and talked so formally, but sweetly at the same time. He was so innocent, but that's why she didn't want to risk a relationship. She would never take the chance of hurting someone as sweet as him.

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"Do you think the bosses will be mad?" Tapirmon asked.

"Of course not! We did what we were told. We made sure the Crest of Darkness was released." Digitamamon assured his friend.

"I guess." Tapirmon replied.

"Relax. Even if they are mad, it's not like they'll do anything to bad. They need us." Ryuko reassured the tapir. Roninmon nodded her head and put a hand on the digimon's shoulder. "And I'm sure Hosshi will make a full recovery too."

"Or I won't." Hosshi said bluntly. Tapirmon was extremely worried about the injury Hosshi had sustained and rushed to his partner.

"Don't say that! You will get better!" Tapirmon insisted. "It's just a cut. Nothing important was hit so don't start thinking you'll die."

"You're right." Hosshi said. "What a pity."

"Hosshi you're upsetting them!" Ryuko yelled angrily.

"Why are so mean now Hosshi?" Tapirmon asked as he started crying. "You weren't always so depressed. You used to laugh, and smile, but now all you do is sit around a mop all day. I want my old friend back."

"Tapirmn," Hosshi said quietly as kneeled down and hugged his partner closer. "That Hosshi is dead. All that remains is the tired out shell you see now. Once my revenge is complete I can fully die in peace."

"No Hosshi." Tapirmon cried as he buried his face into Hosshi's chest. "I don't want you to go away." He continued crying even when the door opened and the mysterious cloaked figure walked in. His cloak was now in shreds and Bearmon had several scratches all over him. They stumbled forward and fell down in front of the five of them.

"Oh man, looks like I'll be surrounded by emos for a while." Ryuko sighed before leaving to get Daemon.

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Loaño sat in her room with Kidd sitting next to her. She took a deep breath before calling out in her head, 'Hey! Are you still in here?'

'Of course, where else would I go?' the voice replied.

'I don't know, New York?' Loaño guessed. 'It seems to attract a lot of insane people and things.'

'True.' The voice answered.

'So, what exactly are you? Am I really insane like all of those funny people in the white coats say I am?'

'To be honest, yes I think you are a little insane. However, me being in you has nothing to do with it. I am like you consciences, but you can call me AA.'

'AA?'

'Yes.'

'Why AA?'

'I'll tell you some other time.' AA answered. 'It's not important right now. What is important is what happened at the park.'

'You mean Haseo and Dorumon turning into that whatever it was?' Loaño asked.

'Yes, but it's name is DexDoruGreymon. It is a very wild and uncontrollable monster that comes out when Dorumon Death-X digivolves.'

'What the hell is Death-X?'

'Think of it as a super-powered dark digivolving, but only certain digimon can do it.' AA answered.

'Okay, next question. The dark digivolving will stop because the necklace left the park right?'

'Yes, or rather the thing the necklace was holding left the park.' AA answered. 'It was destroyed so you and your friends don't have to worry about the park anymore. It should be safe to go to.'

'Do you know what the necklaces are?' Loaño asked as she looked at her silver one.

'They are the crests. Like your grandfather Matt used to have one, and your grandmother Sora.' AA answered.

'Is getting one hereditary?' she inquired, thinking of her great aunt and uncle TK and Kari.

'Not always, but it sometimes is. It all depends on the individual.' AA answered.

'Okay, which crest belongs to who?'

"Celena holds Light. Haseo holds Darkness. Adam holds Hope. Jasper holds Knowledge. Raimundo holds Sincerity. Sakura holds Love. Masurao holds Courage. Kaya hold Reliability. Hanekuro holds Friendship. You hold Balance.' AA answered.

'Yeah, because I'm so balanced out.' Loaño retorted sarcastically. 'Wait, what about Kindness?'

'I don't know. That crest was lost a while ago, during the time the Spirits were trying to bring them here.' AA answered. 'Now that's enough with the questions. I'm tired and I need to sleep.'

"Wait!" Loaño cried out, but it was too late. AA had already sunk back into her subconscious.

"What?" Kidd asked from where he had been dosing.

"I'll explain later. Right now, we need to get everyone gathered up." Loaño answered as she jumped up from her bed.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 23: Questions Being Answered

Shortly after Loaño had been told about the crests she called everyone else and told them what she knew. They wondered of course how she knew but she lied skillfully, saying her grandfather told her about it. Everyone seemed to buy it and were happy to finally know a little more about the crests. Celena then told Loaño to send the message that everyone would meet at the apartment complex the day Haseo was fit to return to school.

By Wednesday Haseo was feeling well enough to go to school and he and Celena finally returned. Celena's many friends asked questions but Celena quickly set everyone straight. The morning progressed smoothly enough until their second period.

"Excuse me class." The teacher said in a bored tone. Everyone continued talking, or in Haseo's case drawing, and ignored the teacher. "Class." He said again but to no avail. "Class. Class. Damn it, listen to me you bunch of crack-heads!" he yelled finally. The class looked at him as if he was insane but he ignored them. "We have two new students today. Please ladies, introduce yourselves."

"I'm Tatsuki." The first girl said. She had brown hair with streaks of black in it. She wore the normal school uniform but had several personal touches like a skull print purse and a black version of the uniform.

"I'm Hikaru." The other girl said with a small smile. She was hardly wearing the school uniform. She had the jacket of the uniform on but it was unbuttoned and she wore a dark blue sweatshirt under it. She also had a black pair of jeans on. She had short black hair and had small circular glasses that gave her an intelligent look.

"Yes, I'm sure we're all excited about getting to know you and I'm sure you can't wait to meet everyone. Tatsuki, please sit at the empty desk next to Celena, the girl with the red hair. Hikaru, please sit next to the boy to he left." The teacher instructed. The two girls complied and they sat in their desks.

Celena greeted Tatsuki with a very small wave and smile, but the girl ignored her altogether and sat down. She leaned back in the chair and set her large purse on the desk. Judging by the glazed over look in her eyes, Celena guessed she wasn't paying any attention to what the teacher had began saying.

Hikaru on the other hand was wide-awake. However, she seemed to be more interested in Haseo than the lesson. Haseo occasionally looked over to see her staring at him with a dreamy smile. Every time he did Hikaru would give a small wave and Haseo's face would glow bright red.

"Alright class, I'm going to pair you all up in groups for this next assignment. Haseo and Celena, why don't you two help the new students." The teacher suggested. Celena looked over at the sleeping girl and sighed, knowing that she wouldn't help at all. She then looked over at Hikaru who was staring at a very uncomfortable Haseo.

"So, is that cute white hair of yours natural?" Hikaru asked. For some reason Celena felt a sudden surge of hatred for the girl. It sounded as if Hikrau was flirting with Haseo. 'Wait, why do I care? We already agreed we couldn't be in a relationship. Right before we almost kissed. No! What the hell am I thinking!?'

'Uhm, y-yes it is natural." Haseo answered.

"I like it. It's like snow." Hikrau said as she reached out a hand and twirled a strand in her hair. "And it's so soft too." She said with a flirting smile. "And those yellow eyes are so mysterious. They kind of look like Orochimaru's, except much sexier."

Haseo's face practically glowed bright red. Behind him, Celena was trying as hard as she could to not jump over Haseo and tear Hikaru's eyes out. 'That little bitch! How dare she flirt with Haseo like that! I'll kill her!' she thought violently as she gripped her desk harder and harder out of frustration on pure untamed jealousy.

Hikaru leaned in closer to the stuttering and shaking Haseo. She smiled at his nervousness and brought her face closer to his. Celen had to intervene and quickly rammed her textbook in-between their faces. "We should start the assignment. We don't want to fall behind." Celena said with an overly happy smile. Hikaru looked at her before taking the book and opening it to the appropriate pages. Haseo sighed in relief and gave Celena a thankful smile.

Celena nodded before sitting back down and grabbing her own textbook. "Don't let her get to you." Tatsuki said. Celena turned in surprise to see the girl next to her was indeed awake. "Hikaru is a total flirt. She goes around and gets a new boy toy. Then when she sees someone even a little cuter, she rips the lasts heart out and moves to the new one. When she's done with that Shiro-chan, he'll be needing a shoulder to cry on."

"For some reason that really doesn't make me feel much better." Celena replied. Tatsuki shrugged before leening back in her chair and falling back to sleep. Celena joined Hikaru and Haseo on the assignment and thought about what Tatsuki said. Hikaru didn't try any more moves on Haseo, but every once in a while she would catch Hikrau staring at Haseo.

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After school the group all met over at Celena's house. Celena checked the directions to the apartments, which was revealed to actually be closer than anyone thought. The group left and headed for the apartment that held some answers.

"Finally we can get some questions answered." Hawkmon said.

"Yuppers! We finally get some questions answered." Lockheed agreed.

The group found the apartment building and went inside. Everyone struggled to get inside the elevator and finally managed to all pile in. "Would it not have been easier to take two trips?" Haseo pointed out.

"Easier yes, fun no." Masurao said.

"Your opinion is biased because you have a great view of my ass." Sakura snapped before kicking backwards and pinning Masurao's arm to the elevator wall.

"Totally worth it." Masurao grimaced.

"Come on guys, stop trying to kill each other. There isn't enough room." Mushroomon joked.

"I can't feel my legs." Strabimon said. His thin and flexible body had been twisted around into a very uncomfortable position.

"On the way down, we're taking two rides." Jasper said.

"Ow! Arcadimon your claw is digging into my back!" Adam yelled in pain.

"I can't move. Dorumon is sitting on me." Arcadimon replied.

"This is what the elevator is like going down to hell." Dorumon said. The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The group literally tumbled out of the small space and out onto the floor. Everyone managed to stand up and miraculously nobody was hurt. The group moved down the hallway and arrived at the door with the same number as the slip of paper. Celena reached out and was about to knock on the door when it was suddenly opened.

Two young men, the same age as Takuya, were looking out at them. One had a white and dark blue striped bandana on his head. The other had a green hat. Both of them had black hair, although the man with the hat's looked slightly longer. The bandana wearing man had a dark blue thin hoodie on and jeans; the other man had a long-sleeved red shirt with white pants. Both of them looked exactly alike.

"I think I'm seeing double." Masurao commented.

"You guys must be the new crest holders. Come on in, we're all waiting for you." The hat wearing man said with a warm smile. The large group piled into the large apartment building and looked around. The main room wasn't exactly fancy, but it did have a certain air of dignity about it. It was well furnished with a large sofa, a chair, a coffee table, and an entertainment center complete with many pictures, a TV, and a DVD player.

"Nice place." Adam commented. "Are you guys rich?"

"Adam." Celena scolded.

"Actually this isn't our apartment. This our friend's but it's close to all of ours so we normally meet here." The other twin said. "You guys wait here and we'll get the others." The two twins walked further into the apartment leaving behind a very confused group. Some of them sat down while the others preferred to stay standing. They waited in an awkward silence for the twins to return.

When they did, they weren't alone. A somewhat large young man walked out with them wearing a blue jumpsuit. He had short and spiky brown hair with matching eyes. In his hand was a half eaten chocolate bar. The other person was a young blonde haired woman that reached down to between her shoulders. She was wearing mostly purple and had a sweet smile on her face. Accompanying them were Chomon and a blue Hercules beetle-like digimon with metallic green bug eyes. Several parts of his blue shell had red edges and he had a tattered yellow scarf around his neck.

"So you guys are the new team?" the brown haired man asked. "Oh boy are we in trouble."

"JP." The blonde haired girl scolded. "I'm sorry but he's a little pessimistic sometimes. I'm Zoe, this is Kouji, Kouichi, and JP. The cute butterfly is Chomon, and the beetle is KoKabuterimon. You don't need to introduce yourselves. We already know you guys."

"How do you guys already know us?" Rai asked.

"We were told by the Royal Knights to give you those crests." JP answered for her. "I guess we should start from the beginning. You guys know about the Demon Lords, right?"

"Yeah, Jasper even fought one." Adam answered.

"Alright, that makes this a bit easier to explain." Kouichi said. "For a while now the Royal Knights have been keeping an eye on the Demon Lords. They've been silent for years, and haven't even been causing minor problems. They decided to form an alliance with Tsukikuro."

"Wait, I thought the Boss was a good guy. Why did they need to make an alliance? Aren't they already on the same side?" Sakura asked.

"It is not that simple. The Boss and his right hand mon believe in giving fair chances to all digimon, including the ones with darker appearances. For this reason and a few others, he has had to do business with both good digimon and bad digimon. Because of this he has earned a bad reputation in much of the digital world. The Royal Knights have been very weary about his actions and have kept him under heavy surveillance." Haseo explained.

"Exactly, except the Royal Knights needed the Boss's expertise in dark digimon and spies. They made an alliance and the Boss sent in spies to the Demon Lords, which he had suspected the Demon Lords of doing to him. The were able to uncover parts of a plan and the spies quickly told the Royal Knights and the Boss." Kouji continued.

"They realized that they would need the powers of the digidestined again. The only problem was, most of them are too old to go running around the world. They're all older and have grandchildren. They couldn't continue fighting, bu8t at the same time they were the only ones who could." Zoe continued.

"But the Boss found a loophole. By combining his powers with AncientAnubismon and Alphamon of the Royal Knights, he was able to recreate the Crests. The Demon Lords caught wind of this plan and charged the Royal Knight's castle. Everyone fought and in the end, Alphamon died. After the battle the Boss saved the crests for when the Demo Lords finally made their move." JP continued.

"That time is now." Chomon said. "The Boss gave the crests to us, the Legendary Warriors, to give to you humans. However, once again the Demon Lords intercepted us. We battled valiantly, but in the end MagnaGarurumon was defeated. With the last of his strength he gave us enough time to come to the human world and meet with our partners."

"Then Takuya delivered the crests to each of you." KoKabuterimon finished.

"So this whole enter thing has been going on since we were born?" Hanekuro asked.

"Yep. Not to mention our adventure. Back when the story started, Lucemon wasn't alive. We got dragged to the digital world when we were all about 12 and fought against him and his minions. In the end we thought we beat him with the help of the Legendary Warriors, but apparently we were wrong." JP added.

"What about the Crest of Darkness? Why was that one sealed up?" Dorumon asked.

"Because it and the Crest of Kindness were the only ones not destroyed. The Crest of Darkness was used to seal away an evil digimon that could've helped the Demon Lords with their plans. The Boss used it to seal away the evil digimon in a place the Demon Lords were least likely to expect." Kouichi answered.

"Well what about my Crest of Balance?" Loaño asked.

"The Boss, Alphamon, and AncientAnubismon combined a small part of the powers of each crest and created that one." Kouji answered.

"Do we know yet what the Demon Lords are after?" Hawkmon asked.

"All we know so far was that they wanted to release the evil digimon that the Crest of Darkness was holding. Fortunately the monster was weakened from it's imprisonment and Crescemon was able to destroy it." Zoe answered.

"I only have one question. What happened to the Crest of Kindness?" Haseo asked.

"When we were coming to the human world and the Demon Lord attacked they were able to get one of the crests. That crest was the Crest of Kindness." Chomon answered.

"What do you know about the Demon Lords human allies?" Celena asked.

"We don't know much about most of them. But one of them…" Zoe trailed off as she looked away and tears came to her eyes.

"Two years after we came back to the human world, there was a large fire. It burned down several houses and killed a lot of people. Three of those people were the mother, father, and older brother of our last member Tommy." JP said quietly.

"Two days after the fire, he disappeared. We had no idea where he went, and we still didn't for a while. At least not until we saw him again a few months ago." Kouji said.

"He was working for the Demon Lords. His partner Bearmon, is the same as Chomon and KoKabuterimon. He's the Child form of one of the Legendary Warriors. When they got here, Chomon and the others told us that Bearmon had disappeared two years after we came back to the human world." Kouichi finished.

"So then Tommy is our mystery enemy." Lunamon said.

"I have one more question." Masurao said as he pointed at the twins. "Do you two have partners?"

"No, my partner was MagnaGarurumon." Kouji said quietly.

"I do, but he's kind of shy around new people." Kouichi answered. "He didn't want to come."

"I guess that's it then. We finally have our questions answered." Kaya said quietly.

"I guess we should go then." Celena said. "Here, this is from Takuya. He said give it to you when we found you." She said as she handed Zoe the note. "It was folded up so I couldn't read the message. You don't need to worry about that."

Zoe took the note and unfolded it all the way. She read the message on it and smiled. "I see. Thank you Celena. I'm glad we could be of help this much, but unfortunately it's up to you guys now. Good luck."


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 24: A New Mission.

"No, that won't work." The Boss muttered to himself as he stared around the room in confusion. He was standing in the middle of what most of his workers called his Strategy Room. It was a large brightly lit room with several large tables arranged around a chair in the center of the room. The Boss sighed as he leaned back in the chair and rested his head in his hand. "This is not going well." He muttered.

On the ten tables arranged around the room sat large game boards. Currently, only seven were in use. One of them depicted an aerial view of his mansion and some of the surrounding forest. Another was a view of a large daimyo's palace and the surrounding mountains, Gaiomon's headquarters. Another was a large factory with a wasteland of gray sand surrounding it, Yosuya and CrystalGatomon's new headquarters. Another board was a large mechanical yellow base with a forest surrounding it, QueenVespamon's headquarters. The final of his personal allies was a dark castle complete with a dark gray wasteland surrounding it of his last right hand man.

The Boss waved his hand that wasn't holding his head and his chair spun. He looked down on the board that depicted the city in the human world. On each of their houses were small figures that looked like the children and their digimon partners, as well as Zoe's group. In the center was the park and the city surrounded it. It wasn't a full aerial view, but it encompassed everything important for his plans. The Boss frowned before making his chair turn to the last table.

This one was almost all black because the Boss was unaware of what lied in that area. All he knew was that an enormous castle was at it's center. In the middle of the castle stood figures showing the Demon Lords and their human servants along with their partners. The Boss sighed again as he stood up and looked at the boards. He couldn't figure out a way to get into the Demon Lords base. There weren't any secret routes, direct paths, or any possible ways in to send in spies without the Demon Lords being alerted.

He looked up when he heard the door open. A thin mostly gray digmon walked through. He had several green lines around his body, two of which spread out from the bottom of his back like two tails. These ended in light blue eye like appendages with red pupils. On his chest and knees were two large eyes, however his main eyes on his face ere closed. His head ended in a red point and he had light green hair that stretched down a bit behind him. "I thought I'd find you in here." He said quietly.

"Argomon! How good of you to make it! I trust your journey wasn't too bad." Te Boss said with a warm smile.

"You mean to ask, you're not dyeing yet and you're still of some use to me?" Argomon asked. "You cannot hide things from me Boss. My eyes can see everything, including what goes on in people heads. Even the chaos that rages in your mind."

"You make me sound so heartless. If I was really that uncaring would I have suggested you move here and put Gulfmon out on your post?" the Boss asked.

"I suppose not." Argomon answered.

"Man you always act like such a know it all." The Boss said with a sigh. He turned back and looked at the tables. "So then Mr. Genius, what do you propose I do for my plans?"

Argomon looked around at the tables. On occasion he would stop and bring a fist to his mouth and cough violently, but he ignored it entirely as it was part of who he was. The Boss however, frowned every time he did. Finally Argomon stopped and turned to him. "There is one way, although it's risky. But of course I am talking to you so naturally you wouldn't care. However, you wouldn't be able to go yourself or send any of your stronger subordinates."

"Can you please not do that emotion and mind reading thing? I hate people being in my head." The Boss replied with a frown. "It really is annoying when people know what I'm going to do next."

"Perhaps because you hardly know yourself. To be honest I do not enjoy peering into your mind. It is far too chaotic. If you weren't such a genius and excellent leader, you would be called insane and left alone all together. No doubt you would fall into despair and try again and again to commit suicide. Of course being immortal as you are, this would prove pointless. You would spend eternity in despair and loneliness." Argomon replied.

"I'm sorry, I stopped paying attention after you said the nice things. I knew it just be blah blah you suck on the inside blah. Now shut up and stop being a therapist and start explaining your plan to me." The Boss said with a genuine smile.

"Very well. There is a hidden route between the Demon Lords area and an area close to Gaiomon's region. It is a cave pathway that reaches between the Demon Lords area and the Death Volcano." Argomon answered.

The Boss let out a roar of anger. "You've got to be kidding me! Of all the places we're close to, it had to be the Death Volcano! No wonder you said one of my subordinates or myself could go. The leader of that region and I are at each other's throats! Isn't there somewhere else we could use?"

"No. And that of course means someone will have to go and talk to the leader of the Death Volcano before the Demon Lords do. And I know, that you know there is only one person the leader there has ever really liked in your army." Argomon said. He bent over and let out a series of loud coughs. He stood up weakly and muttered "I need to rest." Before walking out of the room.

"Crap." The Boss muttered after he left. "I can't believe I need to go to that hot-head for some help. Still, Argomon does have a point. If the Demon Lords get him on their side we'll be at a huge disadvantage. And I do have an ace up my sleeve. Two actually."

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"It's a lot to take in, huh?" Lunamon asked. "We sure got a lot of questions answered." She, Celena, Haseo, Adam, Dorumon, and Arcadimon were waking the rest of the way to their house. They had parted shortly after leaving and each went their way.

"More than I thought we would. I expected something bad to happen." Celena agreed.

"What do you think was on that note? I bet it was something important." Adam said.

"No, it was probably a love note judging by the way she smiled." Celena replied.

"A love note? Ew! Gross." Adam said with a scrunched up face to show his disgust.

"You're young. You don't get love." Dorumon said.

"And you do?" Adam asked with a joking smile.

"What's love?" Arcadimon asked. Adam turned and stared at his partner. He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again. He repeated the motion again and again but each time came up with nothing to say. "What you feel for someone you really like I guess."

"Oh." Arcadimon said with what was probably a thoughtful look on his face. The group continued walking until Adam suddenly gasped. Arcadimon had pulled his neck from behind and had pulled him into a big hug as he exclaimed, "I love you Adam!"

"Arcadimon let go! You don't understand!" Adam yelled. Arcadimon let go of him and gave Adam a warm smile. Adam sighed before looking away and muttered "Insane emotional spider-weirdo." Arcadimon seemed to hear him and put a claw over his shoulders and began walking next to him. Adam let out another sigh and tried to ignore Celena and Lunamon's laughing.

"I have no idea what half of that conversation was, but it seemed really funny." Celena whispered to Haseo. Haseo nodded and gave Celena a small smile. "Are you okay? You've been pretty quite ever since we left."

Haseo sighed before answering, "It is nothing I suppose."

"Come on Otouto, what's wrong?" Dorumon asked from beside him.

"I do not know." Haseo answered. "I suppose I am just feeling stressed. When I accepted this mission I had no idea that things would get this complicated."

"I know what you mean. When I first met Lunamon, I had no idea I would be helping to beat such evil digimon. It's scary, but that doesn't mean I regret meeting Lunamon. I'm glad I have her around, and I'm glad I got to meet all of the digimon I know. And I'm glad to have met you." Celena consoled. She put a hand on Haseo's shoulder and smiled at him. He looked at her hand before looking back up at her with a smile.

"Are you two going to kiss?" Lunamon asked. Both of the blushed bright red and looked away from each other. "Relax guys, I was only joking." Lunamon said with a smile at their reactions. An awkward silence descended upon the group as they walked home. When they got their Celena and Adam's mother walked up to them.

"Theirs someone on the phone for you Haseo." She told him. Haseo walked out of the room while Celena and the others wet to the living room and explained to their parents what had happened. Haseo picked up the phone and said "Hello."

"Hello Haseo!" the Boss said from the other side.

"Boss? How are you calling a telephone in the human world?" Haseo asked.

"Out of all of the weird things and scientific laws you've seen me defy, you choose to ask that?" the Boss said with what sounded like his usual smile.

"Good point. For what reason have you called?" Haseo inquired.

"I have a new mission for you and your friends." The Boss answered. "First I need to ask, do all of your parents know about what their children have gotten into? That's kind of important."

"I believe so." Haseo answered.

"Excellent! Then they have no choice to answer yes because it involves the fate of the worlds. I need you and your new friends to come to the digital world." The Boss answered.

"What!?" Haseo yelled. "Why could you possibly need my friends to come to the digital world? Is the situation there that dire?"

"No, no, not at all! It's just, I need some representatives. You see Argomon, in all his obnoxious foresight, has uncovered a hidden route between the Demon Lords are and the Death Volcano region. The leader there has never really liked any of my subordinates, and the feeling is mutual for me. However, you have quite a few friends there don't you? As I remember you and Dorumon met some friends whenever we visited Gaiomon's mountain castle."

"Well yes I suppose. Ryu-nisan and I have met a few of the digimon up there and we are rather good friends. If it will help with the battle against the Demon Lords than I shall help. I'm sure my friends would be happy to as well." Haseo answered.

"Excellent! I'll open the portal up tomorrow after school. See you then." the Boss said before hanging up.

Haseo looked at the receiver before sighing and hanging it up. "What did I just get my friends and I pulled into?"


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Wow, this chapter ended up being way bigger than I meant so I'm cutting it in two. The other one will probably be up later.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 25: Welcome to the Digital World! (Part 1)

Shortly after Haseo had ended his conversation with the Boss he walked back out and explained the situation to the Kurosaki family.

"I understand if you do not wish to come. It will be very dangerous and you have your own lives to think about. It would be best if Ryu-nisan and I returned on our own and completed our mission." Haseo finished his explanation.

"Why would we not want to go with?" Celena asked. "If we can help the Boss to beat the Demon Lords in some way, than Lunamon and I are game."

"Right! Arcadimon might be a little weird but I owe it to you and the Boss for bringing us together. We're ready to go too."

Their father sighed but smiled. "It sounds like it won't really matter what your mother and I say. Not that it would matter, because I agree. You kids are the only ones that can do something against the Demon Lords. So I say go for it, and help out your friends." His two children nodded and went upstairs with their partners to pack. Haseo watched them go with a shocked expression.

Finally, he smiled and said quietly "We humans are not what I expected."

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The next day everyone arrived at Celena's house. Haseo had called everyone and told them about his next mission. Although the answers themselves were different, they all agreed to go. They talked it over with their parents and explained the situation and after a lot of persuading, they were given permission to go.

"So how much longer until the Boss gets here?" Rai asked impatiently.

"I do not know. All he said was he would meet us after school." Haseo answered. They all waited a few more minutes until there was a knock at the door. Everyone jumped up and went to the door. Celena opened it and looked out at the Boss who raised an eyebrow when he saw everyone pilled up in front of the door.

"Wow, I didn't expect so many of you to say yes." The Boss said in quiet surprise. "Well I suppose we should go then. We don't have a lot of time."

"How are we getting there?" Masurao asked.

"An excellent question! With a not as excellent answer." The Boss replied. He snapped his fingers and a dark portal opened. "That's it. Walk through and you'll be in front of my humble home."

Everyone seemed a little hesitant until Haseo and Dorumon both walked forward and went into the portal. Everyone slowly followed through until everyone was through. The Boss turned and gave a smile and a wave to Celena's parents before walking through the portal himself.

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When everyone walked through the portal, their jaws dropped. The sheer size of mansion and courtyard was unbelievable. A tall iron gate surrounded the whole area, the poles a deep black color and each bar ended in a sharp spike. The interior courtyard was enormous, filled with gardens of flowers that were all sorts of shades of blues, purples, and blacks that gave the courtyard a peaceful night sky like quality. Above them was a star-filled night sky with a small pink moon looking down at them.

Leading from the gate was a gray brick pathway to stairs that led up to the large house. In front of the house stood a large silver fountain. The front three figures were a large ten-winged armored angel in the front. To his left was a similar angel, however this one was a beautiful girl. To the center angel's right was a large peaceful looking beast that had a peaceful smile on his face. The figures stood behind them but it was impossible to see what they looked like from the angle everyone was standing.

The mansion itself was three stories and very wide. It was black on the outside and in each of the windows was the soft glow of a light that seemed to light up the whole mansion. The result was beautiful to look at. The roof was black tile that slanted downward. Every so often a chimney could be seen poking out of the roof, made of the same stone as the pathway.

"Wow." Jasper said.

"This is where you two live?" Kaya asked.

"Yes." Haseo answered with a smile at his friend's shocked faces.

"Not bad, huh guys?" the Boss asked once he walked through the portal and it closed back up. "It's my very own humble home. Regardless of it's large appearance on the outside it can be stretched and altered on the inside to fit my every need. There are more than enough rooms and if we run out I can make some more."

"What do you mean you can make more? There's only that much space in the mansion." Jasper said in confusion.

"That's true, which is exactly why it's false." The Boss replied, his happy smile growing wider. "In a series of events, some unfortunate and some not, I was given the power to be able to alter the very fabric of reality. So just because the mansion is only this big on the outside, doesn't mean it's only that big on the inside."

Jasper opened his mouth to counter but closed it again. He stopped and thought about it for a few seconds and everyone watched him. Finally he said, "My brain hurts."

"Relax kid, the Boss has that effect on a lot of people." Dorumon replied. "It's better to just accept that the Boss breaks the laws of physics on a daily basis."

"Damn right I do." The Boss said proudly. He took out a key from his pocket and opened the front gate. The opened up easily without a squeak or creek to be heard like some of them expected. He then closed his hands and when he opened them a black cane stretched out from them, the cane ending in a red gem. He strolled into the courtyard, the others following behind him. The walked up to and past the large fountain, some of the kids and their partners taking time to admire it. They walked up the stairs and the Boss unlocked the front door. He grabbed the golden handles and swung the door open and cried "I'm home!"

"Hey the Boss is back!" a white ghost like digimon said as he floated by. It's creepy teeth upturned into a grin. "Hey Boss!"

"Hello Bakemon." The Boss greeted with a wave as the ghost literally floated through a wall. The group, besides Haseo and Dorumon, stared at the large room. It had several comfortable looking red sofas and chairs all arranged in front of a large fireplace. On oth sides of the far wall were two staircases that led up to the second floor. Several monstrous and demonic looking digimon walked or floated through the room going about there business, only stopping to bid welcome to the Boss, Haseo, and Dorumon.

"Hey Boss." A large skeletal dragon said with a wave. "Hey Ouji-sama and Ryu-ouji."

"Hello SkullGreymon." The Boss replied.

"Hey." Dorumon replied.

"Hello." Haseo said with a polite wave. Several more digimon walked through with similar greetings, each one looking evil in at least some way.

"Are we in the right place?" Strabimon asked.

"Of course. What would make you ask otherwise?" the Boss asked, although his smile told them he already knew Strabimon's answer.

"Well all of the digimon here seem well, evil." Hawkmon answered.

"And that is where you are wrong." The Boss said. In a flash he was standing behind the group and pointing to the digimon. "Look around you. The digimon here seem to be monstrous and evil, yet everyone is cheerful and nice."

The group looked around and many of the digimon walking through or sitting down did in fact have happy smiles on their faces. Some would even wave to them after greeting the Boss, Haseo and Dorumon. "I guess, their not bad." Hanekuro said quietly.

"Exactly!" the Boss cried as he quickly walked around them and to the center of the room. "Just because a digimon might appear to be evil or bad, does not make them so. You should never judge others by their appearance, whether they are human or digimon. The digimon that live here and in my partners' homes are dark digimon that have been shunned because of their appearance. Just because a digimon looks evil doesn't mean they are. Look around you. Do any of these digimon have any evil intentions? No! They are all kind and warm-hearted souls that just need a place to stay and some friends to keep them company."

"Excuse me Boss." A digimon behind him said. It was a digimon in gray robes with it's head shrouded by a red hood. It carried a golden scythe which had a chain attached to it. Around it's neck was a golden chain necklace that had a red eye-like gem for it single ornament.

"Yes Phatomon?" the Boss inquired.

"Something has come up and we need your help. It's about Argomon. " Phantomon answered.

"I see." He said before turning back to the group. "Well I apologize everyone but it seems my dutiful workers are in need of some assistance. I would have loved to give you the grand tour myself, but alas I cannot. Haseo, Dorumon, could you please?"

"Of course." Haseo answered. The Boss gave everyone a wave before following Phantomon out of the room. Haseo turned to the group and was suddenly met with a barrage of questions.

"Why didn't you tell us you lived somewhere like this place?" Sakura asked.

"How come you don't have nightmares with all of these monsters around?" Adam wondered.

"How does the Boss alter reality? What's the trick to it?" Jasper asked.

"How come those digimon called you Ouji-sama?" Rai wondered.

"Were are our rooms? Are they big ones?" Loaño asked.

"QUIET!" Celena yelled. Everyone stopped and looked at her and so did the digimon that had been walking through the room. "Not you guys. You just go haunt a graveyard or whatever you need to do. I was talking to them." The digimon shrugged before walking away. "Give them some room you guys. I'm sure they'll explain everything when they have a chance to."

"Thank you Celena." Haseo said with a thankful smile. "In order, I did not believe it mattered. I have lived with digimon like these around me my whole life so they are not scary to me. I am not entirely sure of how the Boss is capable of using his powers or the extent of them. I will explain that later. You may see your rooms after Ryu-nisan and I show you the mansion."

"Well then lead the way." Kidd said. Haseo nodded before walking through one of the doors to the side. They walked through a large hallway and into another room.

"This is one of the three libraries." Haseo began. "This particular one has many books on human and digimon history. If you need to know something, this is the library to look in."

The group looked around the large room. It was filled with rows and rows of books on bookshelves. Each one was ordered by timeline and probably had very detailed reports of everything due to the fact that at least three books took up one small point in time. The group walked through the room and out into another hallway. They walked through several intersections and hallways until finally arriving at another large room.

This one was filled with canvases, instruments, paints, and paintings. Several digimon were painting or playing their instruments. "This is the art room!" Dorumon yelled above the noise. "It's usually pretty noisy because this is were mostly everyone comes to practice their instruments. Of course there are also a lot of painters here too!" Everyone quickly walked through the room and Haseo closed the door behind them. At once the noise was cut off.

"The room is sound proof so it doesn't disturb everyone else!" Dorumon yelled.

"Ryu-nisan."

"What!? Oh, sorry." Dorumon apologized embarrassedly. The group continued walking down the hallways and were greeted by several digimon. However, they weren't expecting one f the digimon to tackle Haseo to the ground.

"Haseo!" the digimon cried. It was the same size as the other digimon, excluding Kidd, and was wearing kendo armor. It's face was entirely covered up by it's mask except for two glowing yellow eyes. At it's side was a wooden kendo sword and it had a blue reptilian tail and feet. "I missed you two so much!" he cried before jumping off of Haseoa nd tackling Dorumon to the ground.

"Oh." Kaya said. "So that's how digimon glomp people."

"Get off of me Kotemon!" Dorumon yelled. The samurai like digimon got off of his friend and stood back a bit and looked at the group.

"Wow Haseo, are these your new friends?" he wondered.

"Yes they are." Haseo answered as he stood up. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Kotemon. He is a good friend of mine and has been for quite some time. He normally trains under Lord Gaiomon and is his apprentice."

"He looks so cute in that armor." Sakura said as she bent over a bit and put a hand on his head. Kotemon blushed so brightly it could be seen on his hidden face and he stammered to say something.

"If he's with Gaiomon then what is he doing here?" Mushroomon asked.

"I come here a lot to see Haseo and Dorumon. It's easy because I'm allowed to use the, uh I mean, I just am." Kotemon corrected himself.

"On with the tour then. Kotemon, you are more than welcome to accompany us." Haseo invited.

"Okay!" Kotemon chirped. "Let's show them the greenhouse next!"

"I suppose that would work. We are rather close." Haseo said. He led the group down several more halls and through a few more rooms. Finally they got to a door that led into a large greenhouse. Around them were several potted flowers of all sorts of colors. The roof was so large that even small trees were able to fit in, and several of the trees held fruit that were both familiar and otherworldly.

"This, as Kotemon stated previously, is the green house. It holds almost every kind of plant or flower in both the human and digital world. As you can see, many plant and insectoid digimon enjoy this room and stay here all the time." Haseo explained. Everyone walked through and looked at the tables holding the potted flowers. All sorts of colors and fragrances filled the room, and the green house magnified the moonlight to act as strong as sunlight.

"Hey Haseo, get your ass over here!" a buzzing voice commanded. Haseo and Dorumon both walked over to a flying digimon. It looked like a large bee only not nearly as disgusting as that might sound. He had light green eyes and the tips of his claws were a light red. He was floating in the air with the aid of two powerful wings. His abdomen was striped black and white and ended in a red stinger.

"Everyone, this is FanBeemon. He's another of our friends, kind of." Dorumon introduced.

"I was wondering when you guys would get back. Man, you really made me wait. I thought you said the mission would be quick!" the large bee complained.

"It was only a little more than a week." Haseo pointed out.

"Yeah, but during that week I only had the other three to be with. It ain't as fun around here without Dorumon to help with the pranks." FanBeemon replied.

"Hey." Kotemon said sadly. "You make it sound like you don't like me."

"I'm not just making it sound that way." FanBeemon said meanly.

"What a jerk." Rai commented.

"You wanna make something of it punk? I could fly circles around you!" FanBeemon threatened as he flew up into Rai's face.

"I'd be glad to fight you! Then I could rip those wings off myself!" Rai threatened.

"Oh wow, I'm scared! I could sting you 10 times before you even knew what hit you!" FanBeemon threatened.

"Yeah, you're so weak I wouldn't even know you did anything! But if you fight me, I promise you'll feel every punch!" The two glared at each other and everyone around them got ready to jump in incase they actually did fight.

"You're alright." FanBeemon said after a long silence. "You're not so bad."

"Yeah, and you're not the big assed bee I thought you were either." Rai answered.

"Can someone please explain how that just happened." Celena asked.

"It's a guy thing." Hanekuro answered.

"No, because I did not understand it either." Haseo said.

"I guess it's an intelligence thing." Jasper said.

"Yuppers, it must be." Lockheed agreed.

"Well enough bringing each other down. Let's keep going." Dorumon said.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

This chapter is why it's rated T.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I should also mention I modified Haseo's new clothes from Azure Kite.

Chapter 25: Welcome to the Digital World! (Part 2)

"Let us continue with our tour." Haseo suggested. The group followed him through the green house, now one member larger with FanBeemon. They left the fragrances of the flowers for another dark hallway. Haseo led the group down another labyrinth of hallways and stopped at a metal door. It was shiny and smooth steel with a large handle to open it.

Haseo took the handle and pulled on the heavy door. It opened up to a brightly lit room with all sorts of machinery inside it. Several flaks sat on tables, each one filled with a strange liquid. Large machine digimon moved around the room and were doing several different things around the room.

"This," Haseo whispered "is the main science lab. Several intelligent digimon come here to help further the scientific community. Most of them are machine but there were also other digimon around as well. "The digimon conduct all sorts of experiments, from inventing machinery to chemical experimentations. There are even surgeries done down the hall."

"This place is creepy." Masurao commented.

"I kind of like it." Jasper said.

"I agree with you there." A mechanical voice said from behind Jasper. Everyone turned around to see a small, strange looking digimon. It looked like it was made from large Lego blocks. It' hands were read as was the top of it's head. It's mouth was yellow, and it's feet were green. It's chest were randomly assorted blues, reds, yellows, and greens. "Greetings Haseo and Dorumon. It's nice to see you again."

"Hey ToyAgumon." Dorumon greeted.

"Toy sounds like a good name to me." Kidd said.

"It looks like a bored kid put you together. Are you supposed to look like that?" Lockheed asked.

"Of course. I am ToyAgumon, a machine digimon that has a resemblance to Agumon." He replied.

"I think he looks cool." Adam said. "Kind of like something I use to make when I was little, only life size."

"Thank you." ToyAgumon said with what would probably be a smile. His eyes, which looked painted on, became an upside down semi-circle like they do in anime. "Can I come with you on te tour? I don't have anything left to do here."

"How did you know about the tour?" Lunamon asked.

"Deductive reasoning." ToyAgumon answered.

"I think I'm going to like this guy." Jasper said with a smile. The group moved out of the mad scientist like lab and walked down several more halls. Finally they stopped, back in the main room where they had started.

"Those were the main points of interest." Haseo said. "You're welcome to go exploring around the mansion, but please be careful. As you can tell, these hallways can be like a maze to those unfamiliar with them. Ryu-nisan and I will show you to your rooms."

"Finally." Lunamon sighed. Everyone walked up one of the staircases and headed down the right hallway. After a few turns everyone was looking down a hallway with several doors.

"There are plenty of rooms for everyone. The girls are on the right and the boys are on the left." Dorumon said. Everyone and their partners walked towards the doors and walked into one.

The rooms had the same red wallpaper as the hallways did. They had soft carpeting and were all very big. The bed could easily fit three people and had pillows covering the top of it, as well as a large comforter on top. The rooms had all sorts of different paintings, going from a field of flowers to a beach at night. The beds were so big that Adam and the digimon literally had to pull themselves up onto them. Haseo smiled before leaving the hall with ToyAgumon, FanBeemon, Kotemon, and his brother.

"It will be nice to have some guests." He said quietly.

"I agree. I can't wait to get to know them." Kotemon agreed. "You guys aren't going to be going soon, are you?"

"We don't know yet, but the sooner the better. For know, I think we should give everyone a well deserved vacation." Dorumon answered.

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Celena let out a relaxed sigh as she lied down on the bed. Her still damp hair spread out over the comforter and smiled. "No wonder Haseo was reluctant to come to my world. Spas, servants, tons of people that know and want to be friends with you. I'm surprised he didn't complain about anything at my house compared to the stuff here."

"You are?" Lunamon asked.

Celena thought about it before saying, "I guess not. Even if he's miserable, Haseo's not the kind of guy to complain about it. Sometimes I wish he would open up a bit more."

"Sounds like someone has a crush on Haseo." Loaño taunted from the doorway.

"I do not!" Celena snapped.

"You totally do. It's obvious." Sakura agreed from beside Loaño. The two girls and their partners walked into the room. Kidd leaned against one of the walls like he normally does, and the two girls sat on either side of Celena. Celena glared at both of them but didn't sit up. "Have you kissed yet?" Sakura asked suddenly, hoping to surprise her friend into a truthful, or fun, answer.

"No." Celena answered honestly and calmly, deciding that getting angry would just bring more grievances from her friends. 'But we got close. Twice.' She thought worriedly, but didn't let it show on her face.

"Really? If you don't then someone else might. He is kind of cute." Loaño. Said thoughtfully.

"Someone else already tried to." Celena replied.

"Who?" Mushroomon asked, finally breaking down and getting into the conversation.

"Some new emo girl at our school. Hikari or something." Celena answered.

"You mean Hikaru?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, that's her. She got really close. They almost kissed." Celena added. 'And I almost clawed her eyes out. Not that I care.' She thought in denial.

"Look Ceena, let's be honest. You like Haseo. The way you look at him and talk to him makes it obvious. You have feelings for the guy." Kidd said. Everyone looked at him in surprise. Normally he didn't say anything during what he called their girl talk, but apparently this was an exception.

"I do not. I like him as friend, that's it." Celena said.

"Celena," Lunamon said, "would a friend skip school and take care of the other person? Would a friend stay by his side while he's sick and feed him? Would a friend dress up as a nurse?"

Celena glared daggers at her rabbit like partner before turning away and trying to keep up her denial. "I do not like Haseo. We're friends and that's it. Period."

"Denial." Both girls said.

"Well what about you and Rai huh? You two obviously mean a lot to each other. You like him don't you?" Celena asked in hopes of turning the tables on Sakura.

"Yep. I want to hug him like the giant stuffed Brazilian bear he is." Sakura admitted. Celena glared at Sakura for not being embarrassed and looked away from everyone.

"I do not like Haseo." Celena grumbled.

"Yep, you love him." Loaño agreed.

"I do not!" Celena yelled. Everyone remained silent and Celena finally thought her friends had stopped but Sakura suddenly said, "I wonder if Haseo is in denial too."

"Probably." Loaño said. "He seems like the shy kind of guy that would."

"Enough!" Celena yelled. "Fine, you're right. I have a crush on Haseo. No, it's more than that. I think I really like him and it's not just a dumb five-minute high school crush. I think I really do love him."

"I knew it." Loaño said after a long pause.

"Get out!" Celena yelled.

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Arcadimon walked down the hall and looked around in confusion. 'Where was my room again?' he thought in confusion. He tilted his head slightly to the side and looked at all of the similar doors. 'I think it was this one.' He said as he walked forward and used his claws to open the door. He walked in and climbed onto the bed. Next to him was a pink suitcase. Wait, pink? 'Adam didn't pack his stuff in a pink suitcase.'

He rolled over on the bed and sat up. He looked at the lock on the suitcase and used one of his thin claws to turn it. The lock gave a click and Arcadimon opened the bag. Inside it were a ton of skirts and shirts, all brightly colored and had several cute animals saying mean things on them. He ruffled through the bag some more until something caught his curiosity.

"Arcadimon what are you doing?" Adam asked angrily from the door. He, with Jasper and Lockheed following him, walked into the room. He climbed onto the bed and snatched away the clothing in Arcadimon's claw. "You shouldn't go through Sakura's clothing." He scolded.

"I'm sorry. I was just curious." Arcadimon replied as he lowered his head in shame. Adam frowned when he saw Arcadimon so sad and pet him on the head. Arcadimon instantly brightened up and threw his claws around Adam in a big hug. "I'm sorry Adam, I won't do it again."

"Great, now let go of me." Adam said. Arcadimon did and Adam put away the piece of clothing he held. It was only then that he realized he was holding something a teenage by would kill to get. Sakura's bra. "Uh, Jasper." Adam said slightly fearfully.

"Yeah?" he asked as he looked up from his conversation with Lockheed. He stared at the bra for a few seconds and his jaw dropped. "Is that Sakura's bra? I've never actually seen one."

"Neither have I." Adam agreed in awe. His childish side was telling him to throw it and say 'Ew, gross.' But another part was making him curious.

"What's a bra supposed to be?" Lockheed asked. "Isn't it like underwear for your chest?"

"I think so." Jasper answered.

"Well you're the genius, you tell us." Adam said.

"I don't know! I'm just a kid. You're the one with the older sister, you tell us." Jasper countered.

"Well Celena said to never touch them and that it's really bad if you steal one." Adam said.

"But I didn't. I just took it out of the bag." Arcadimon pointed out.

"Well that's true." Adam agreed.

"Well it doesn't look dangerous or bad or anything. If it's underwear for your chest than you guys should try it on." Lockheed suggested.

"I guess." Adam said. "How do you put this thing on?"

Meanwhile, Sakura, Loaño, and Celena had decided to move to Sakura's room. They stopped when they heard noise coming from her room and rushed to the door. Their jaws dropped when they saw Adam's arms being held above his head by one of Sakura's bras. Jasper and Lockheed were trying to help him, and Arcadimon was just sitting back and watching them.

"Celena, is your brother trying to wear one of my bras?" Sakura asked calmly.

"Yeah, I think he is." Celena answered in the same shocked calmness. Arcadimon heard them and turned to them. He waved his claw happily at them before turning back and watching Adam struggle.

"Get it off! It's eating me!" Adam yelled.

"Ah! The bra is eating Adam!" Lockheed cried.

The girls and their partners continued staring at the boys in disbelief before Sakura finally comprehended what was going on. "Adam! What the hell are you doing!?" she roared.

"Trying to get this off." Adam answered.

"Get out you perverts!" Loaño yelled before picking Jasper up and throwing him out the door. The other girls threw out Adam and Lockheed and they landed on Jasper. Sakura ripped the bra off of Adam painfully and Arcadimon walked out with a grin on his face. Sakura glared at the four of them before slamming the door shut.

"That was funny Adam. Can I try the bra on next?" Arcadimon asked innocently.

"Shut up Arcadimon."

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Hanekuro sat against his bed as he read the book he had picked up from the main room. Ryudamon sat next to him asleep, his heavy breathing rhythmically sounding through the room. The door opened and Kaya and Koinumon poked their heads in. "Hey." Kaya greeted with a small smile.

"Hey." Hanekuro answered without looking up from his book. Kaya and Koinumon walked into the room. Kaya frowned when Hanekuro still didn't look up. She sat next to him one the bed and stared at him intently. He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow in suspicion before turning back to his book.

"That's it? Just a 'hey'. I came here to talk to you." Kaya insisted.

"About what?" Hanekuro asked with a sigh. He closed the book and threw it down on the bed next to him. He looked over at Kaya expectantly and waited for her to start.

"I don't know really." Kaya said as she sat next to Hanekuro. "It's just, a lot of stuff has been happening lately. It's really got me thinking. Isn't running around and fighting these evil digimon dangerous?"

"I guess so." Hanekuro agreed. "But we're the only ones that can right?"

"Well maybe not. I mean, the Boss has all sorts of digimon working for him. Do we really need to put ourselves in danger like this?" Kaya asked.

"Kaya this isn't like you. I know it's scary and all but you aren't one to freak out over something like this." Hanekuro said skeptically.

"Alright, I guess I'm just worried about," Kaya drifted off.

"Are you worried about, me?" Hanekuro asked in surprise.

"Well, yes." Kaya admitted. "I don't care if something happens to me, but I'm worried about you and everyone else. I don't want you or anyone else getting hurt because of me messing up."

"Kaya, you won't mess up. I trust you with my life. You've always been there for me when I was feeling down. Kaya, you're my best friend. I won't let anything happen to you and I won't let anything make you cry. I promise to protect you no matter what." Hanekuro reassured her.

"And I promise to help you when you go over board." Kaya said.

"Why did you have to ruin such a cool line like that? I sounded so cool and then you ruined it." Hanekuro said with a smile.

"Because I'm the only one around too. It's not like the digimon will. Ryudamon is out cold and Koinumon is dozing too." Kaya answered. "I think Loaño is off grilling Celena about her relation with Haseo and Sakura is helping."

"No wonder I can here myself think, Loaño's special brand of insanity isn't here." Hanekuro muttered.

"Oh stop it, she is not," Kaya stopped and thought about it. "Well okay, yeah she is insane but she's not that annoying."

"At least she's not a crack head like Kidd." Hanekuro pointed out. "Not that we can prove he is."

"He's not." Kaya said dismissively. "Probably."

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"Feeling better Argomon?" the Boss asked. Argomon was lying down on a large bed and didn't even bother to look up at the Boss. "Wow, you look as sick as you are."

"Well you're insane and despite how you act you have very little compassion for anyone besides your sons. And even then you aren't above using them when you need to." Argomon replied venomously. "And QueenVespamon will never date you, and you know it."

"Oh Argomon, you and your hellish eyes." The Boss replied, keeping the smile on his face. "You can see through just about everyone, can't you?"

"Of course, it's part of my powers." Argomon replied before coughing violently. He moaned in pain and self-pity before falling back down on the bed. "I hate this accursed disease."

"I take it that the recent check up wasn't good?" The Boss said concernedly.

"No. Your top doctors all say my condition has worsened. I may not be around for much longer." Argomon replied.

"Oh no." Haseo said from the door. He and Dorumon walked into the room and looked at Argomon concernedly. "Are you alright Lord Argomon?" he asked.

"It's nice to see some genuine concern. Unfortunately, no I am not. My condition has worsened." Argomon replied.

"Well I see you've settles back down pretty quickly." The Boss said as he looked at Haseo's clothes. He had a long sleeved black shirt on and an azure blue t-shirt that cut off at the stomach over it. A collar made of three belts covered most of his face and a large belt stretched over from his left shoulder to his right waist. Long brown gloves stretched up to his elbows. His pants were the same blue and had a few belts around it, finishing in a belt that tied the pants to a close on his ankles. His shoes were black and he had a blue beret on his head. On the front of it was the symbol of Darkness.

"It's nice to be back in my normal clothes." Haseo replied with an unseen smile.

"Speaking of that, I brought a gift for you and Dorumon. I put them in your room." Argomon said. "They should prove useful for your mission."

"Thanks Argomon." Dorumon thanked.

"Ryu-isan, show respect. He may not be here much longer." Haseo scolded quietly.

"Sorry, Lord Argomon." Dorumon said sarcastically.

"Well Argomon, Im truly sorry about your condition. And don't give me any 'I can see you're not' crap, because I really am." The Boss said sadly.

"Thank you Boss." Argomon said. "I think it is an appropriate time to pick my successor."

"So soon?" Haseo asked.

"Yes, I will not be around much longer. I need to make the appropriate descicion." Argomon said. Everyone stared at him as he began coughing again. He sighed when he stopped and looked back at them. "I pick the Royal Knight, Omnimon."


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Please vote on my poll! It's REALLY important. I'm not updating again until at least one other person votes, and don't you dare think someone else will! Then no one will! So please? It's unbelievably important.

Chapter 26: The New Mission Begins: To Death Volcano!

Coronamon sighed as he lay back against the tree. "Man, I hate to admit it but things are really boring without Sis around. She and her human friend were always so much fun to bug. I wonder where they went."

"Sounds like you're pretty bored." A voice said. Coronamon looked up and stared at Lilithmon standing in front of him. He blushed brightly and looked away from her, hoping his embarrassment didn't show. Lilithmon smiled sweetly and bent down to him.

"There's nothing cuter than an embarrassed lion cub." Lilithmon whispered. Coronamon blushed so brightly it could be seen under his red orange fur. Lilithmon smiled and stroked the tuft of yellow fur on his chest. He sighed in happiness and Lilithmon smiled. "Aren't you so cute." She said.

Coronamon smiled as he felt a hazy feeling. His eyes lowered and he felt his limbs go numb. Lilithmon picked him up in her arms and lightly kissed his forehead. "How cute." She said quietly. Coronamon's heart began beating heavily when he heard the comment and hugged Lilithmon. "And now you're going to be my new cute little pet."

"My, my, my, you're the same slut I remember." A voice said.

Lilithmon didn't turn to the voice but smiled when she heard it. "Nice to know you survived. From what I heard that new Light girl really ripped you a knew one." She smiled down at Coronamon reassuringly when she saw his eyes start to come back ito focus. "Now, now don't pay him any mind. Just relax." She said quietly as Coronamon drifted back into his daze.

"You haven't lost your touch I see." The figure said again.

"You have." Lilithmon said. "I'm surprised that girl and her partner could beat you, especially using those two as vessels."

"Shut up!" the figure roared. "I've been sealed for years. My power is not at all what it used to be. I've barely been able to keep track of what has been going on. I know that you and the other Demon Lords were trying to find me, so here I am! Help me!"

Lilithmon and the figure stared at each other for a few minutes. Lilithmon finally said, "It's a good thing Daemon isn't as easily angered as you or we would all be dead." The figure roared and threw it's hand forward. It formed into a black tentacle and he attempted to attack Lilithmon.

"Shut up you bitch!" he roared. "I swear that girl will pay for defeating me."

"Oh really?" Lilithmon asked skeptically.

"Yes! I swear that she will pay! I will complete my existence and eradicate those annoying humans. I will be become the perfect being in both of these worlds and you and the other Demon Lords will help me. Together the eight of us will dominate these worlds and destroy anyone in our way!" he roared.

"Not so loud, I just got Coronamon to sleep." Lilithmon scolded. She laughed as she dodged another tentacle attack and opened a portal for the three of them. She winked at the figure before walking into the portal, with him following close behind.

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Everyone reluctantly gathered in the main room for their mission briefing. After spending a few days living the good life, nobody really wanted to go out and have to fight again. Of have to wake up early again.

"Celena, your brother and his partner are drooling on me." Kidd said tiredly.

"Deal with it." She replied with a yawn. She looked up when she heard someone walking down the stairs. Haseo and Dorumon both walked down and sat next to her. Haseo hid his face between the collar and his hat and within seconds she could hear him snoring lightly. "Even Haseo isn't awake yet and he's normally up and ready for school before I am."

Everyone grunted or didn't even respond. Celena tried to relax as much as possible since it seemed everyone was going to fall back to sleep. She lied back on the sofa and her eyes widened when she felt Haseo lean his head against her shoulder. She looked over at her sleeping friend and smiled before putting her head against his and falling asleep.

When the Boss walked down the stairs his smile shrank a bit. "My, my, you all look like death. And considering I have Grimmon, Deathmon, and Pharaohmon on speed dial, I would know." When he didn't get a response he frowned a little bit, but his smile quickly returned. "Wake up everyone!" he called through out the room.

(A/N: Deathmon is the Japanese name for Ghoulmon.)

Everyone jumped up and was startled awake. Most of them glared at the Boss but he just smiled back at them. "Well, now that everyone is awake I suggest we start talking about the mission." He said, ignoring everyone's death glares. "So, do any of you actually know what you're going to do?"

"Something about helping with getting a new friend that hates your guts." Mushroommon answered.

"Exactly!" the Boss cried. "The leader of the Death Volcano and I have had quite a few problems over the years so I don't think he'll be happy about seeing me. Luckily, the digimon he has chosen to surpass him has met Haseo and Dorumon were they were staying with Gaiomon. They became friends and they're the only three people keeping us from war." The Boss explained, all the while keeping his smile.

"Wow, you're pretty cheerful about a possible war." Hawkmon commented.

"Eh, I can just rebuild my empire. It's not that hard after you've done as many times as I have." The Boss replied. "Anyway, you will be taking a dangerous route, but it's also the most efficient. You'll be leaving later today and will be escorted to the Midnight Pass by Kotemon. From there you will rest at Gaiomon's castle for the night. Then after that it will be about half a day hike to the Death Volcano. Then it will be about two days to the main castle were their leader is currently at. Their expecting you, so be careful."

"Why should we be careful?" Masurao asked.

"Because we're not on the best terms, so some of the digimon around there might not be happy about your presence." The Boss explained. "Consider yourselves all body guards, protecting Haseo and Dorumon. I want you all to be careful, but they are the only ones that can set up this treaty. If they die and we don't get that area, we'll be at a big disadvantage and I will personally torture all of you for the rest of eternity. So no pressure." The Boss said with a carefree smile.

Everyone stared at the Boss as he walked out of the room, humming a happy tune. Finally Lockheed managed to speak and said, "That man is insane."

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"Good luck everyone!" the Boss cried as he waved good-bye to them. The large group walked through the dark forest that was outside of the Boss's estate. Everyone walked down the pathway, Kotemon, Haseo, and Dorumon leading the way. Everyone looked around at the creepy trees surrounding them and the large green moon above them.

"So is it always night here?" Adam asked.

"Yes. Because of it's position the digital world, one of the three moons are always seen, so there for it is always night. When the Cherubmoon is visible it is the morning. When the Ophaimoon is visible like now, it is what the rest of the digital world would call daytime. And finally when the Seraphimon is visible, it is night time." Haseo explained.

"It is like this all over the Dark Area, and it is the only place it happens." Kotemon added. "It's the main reason why the Dark Area is called the Dark Area, and because it has a lot of dark energies coming from it."

"So, before coming to our world you and Dorumon never really experienced sunlight?" Sakura asked.

Haseo stopped walking. Everyone looked at him, waiting for his answer. He seemed to be thinking about something, or embarrassed. But it was impossible to tell for sure with the collar covering his face. Finally he said quietly, "It was strange. And it hurt. I had never seen light so bright before. At first, I thought my eyes wouldn't adjust, and the warmth coming from everywhere was disconcerting. Ryu-nisan and I walked blindly through the park where we had arrived, unable to see or tell where we were. I was scared."

Everyone looked at Haseo with mixtures of shock and sadness. Could it really be true that he had never seen sunlight just a week ago? That he never felt the warmth it brought? Could some really live like that? They took the light for granted. It was disorienting to be in a place without sunlight, so imagine what it had been like for Haseo when he was suddenly blinded.

"But then," Haseo said quietly, "I heard a scream. I ignored the pain and saw through the blinding light. Ryu-nisan and I rushed to find the source of the scream and saw Celena and Lunamon fighting against Saberdramon. I was able to focus and see clearly, so that I could help them and save them." Haseo turned back and smiled at Celena, his collar moving enough for it to be seen. "She helped me see through the light."

Celena blushed as she stared at Haseo. She walked forward and stood next to him. "Come on, it'll be safer for you if someone is protecting you close by." She said without looking at him. Haseo stared at her in surprise before they all started walking forwards again. Celena shifted her gaze to Haseo and thought, 'I'll always be close by Haseo. I won't let anyone hurt you again.'

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"Don't worry." Kotemon assured the group. "We won't be attacked. We're still in friendly territory." The group was walking through what the Boss had called the Midnight Pass. On either side of them were large cliffs that stretched on for a while. They were walking in the open path between the two cliffs.

"Are you sure?" Strabimon asked fearfully.

"Don't worry Strabimon. Nobody will attack us here." Dorumon insisted.

"Wrong!" abooming voice echoed through the area. On top of one of the cliffs was a large tank like digimon. From the waist down it was a tank with several missle carries and guns attached. From the waist up, it was a gray skinned dragon with a copper colored metal mask and piercing red eyes. "Those who invade my territory shall die!"

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Meanwhile:

The Boss walked into his office and smiled as he sat down. He had the utmost faith in Haseo and everyone else and was sure they would do excellently. He leaned back in his chair and thought about what to have for breakfast when he noticed a piece of paper with Gaiomon's signature on it.

"Dear Boss, do not send the group through the Midnight Pass. Recently a TankDramon has moved into the area and claimed it as his own. It is extremely territorial and will attack anything that comes close to it. It is very unwise for you to send the group through there, even if it is the quickest route. Signed. Gaiomon."

"Oh dear. That may not end well." The Boss commented. "Oh well, I'm sure Gaiomon will fix it himself. I wonder if QueenVespamon will say yes to a date for tonight."


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 27: Omnimon Arrives on the Scene!

"Get out or else you filthy humans!" TankDramon roared. "And that goes for your digimon! This is my area! Mine, mine, mine, mine!" he roared again and again. "Striver Cannon!" he roared. The two large cannons next to his shoulders aimed into the sky and launched two missiles. They flew up in the air and arced down to attack everyone.

Everyone quickly digivolved and grabbed their partners. They jumped away from the oncoming missiles and barely got away from the explosion. "So much for this being the most efficient route." Lekismon muttered. TankDramon let out a roar before lowering his guns down to the spread-out group and fired a storm of bullets. Everyone jumped and danced around to avoid the bullets, but this just made TankDramon even angrier.

"Stand still and let me destroy you!" the dragon roared.

"No!" Sakura yelled back.

"Sakura, could you please not taunt the evil dragon that's trying to kill us!" Woodmon yelled.

"Shut up! We have to get up there so we can beat him up!" Sakura yelled back.

"Well I'm not exactly an expert climber." Woddmon retorted.

"Well I can probably get up there." Shurimon said. He let go of Rai, and jumped up the side of the cliff. He got close to TankDramon and slashed into him with his stars, but stared in shock when the blades didn't do anything to the dragon's hard hide.

"Nice try!" TankDramon roared before using his strong claws to punch Shurimon down to the ground. The ninja hurtled down to meet up with the rocks at the bottom. Luckily Kidd jumped under him and caught him.

"Are you alright?" Kidd answered.

"Why are there three Kidds?" Shurimon asked in a daze before degenerating to Hawkmon. His head rolled back and his eyes became anime swirls. Kidd stared flatly at him before throwing him over to Rai. "There you go!" he yelled.

Rai panicked, but managed to catch his partner. However, Hawkmon was too large and Rai fell to the ground. He grumbled and began cursing horrible words I don't know and can't write. Rai dragged Hawkmon behind some rocks and waited with him.

Meanwhile, Lobomon fired a storm of laser bullets at TankDramon. The dragon laughed as the lasers hit his body uselessly. "You're pathetic!" he roared. A side of his armor opened and he pulled out several grenades. He pulled out the rings and threw them all down at random.

Everyone jumped away again, but Lobomon was caught in an explosion. He, now Strabimon, and Masurao landed and rolled across the ground. TankDramon laughed triumphantly and manically. He was too busy gloating to see Arcadimon sneak up behind him. The monster formed its hand into a spear and struck into TankDramon.

The dragon roared as he felt the viral lance pierce into his gray skin. His torso whirled around to face Arcadimon. He revved up his engines and created a flamethrower. Arcadimon covered his face to shield it from the flames, and TankDramon used it as a chance to grab him and throw him down the cliff. He landed with a painful thud and degenerated back to his Child form.

"Arcadimon!" Adam cried in horror at the site of his injured friend. He ran over to him let out a sigh of relief when he felt Arcadimon's chest rise and lower in time. "Thank goodness you're okay." He said quietly.

"Can you guys bring me up there?" Woodmon asked.

"We can try." GinRyumon answered. He, InuDramon, and Kidd lifted Woodmon into the air and jumped up the cliff. They landed on opposite sides of TankDramon and all prepared to attack.

"Battle Rod Breaker!"

"Knockout Punch!"

"Wood Smasher!"

"Reaving Sphere!"

The four attacks collided with Tankdramon and created a huge explosion. The digimon jumped back and prepared to attack again in case the attacks hadn't fully defeated the monster. However, they hadn't expected the attacks to do nothing. TankDramon smirked before spinning around rapidly and shooting small missiles. They all exploded and sent the digimon falling down.

"I think now would be a good time to digivolve further." Lekismon suggested.

"I agree." Haseo said quietly. "Are you ready Ryu-nisan?"

"Let's go!" Dorugamon roared.

Haseo stretched out his right arm and his hand began glowing white. The light around him faded, and the light intensified. The light grew brighter and brighter, but sudden;y Haseo cried out in pain. "What on earth is going on!?" he shouted in confusion. The light grew brighter until he was hit back and the light faded.

"Damn it!" Dorugamon yelled. He ran over to his younger brother to make sure he was all right. "It over loaded!" he cried in anger. "Sorry guys, but it's up to you. We'll explain what happened later."

"There won't be a later for all of you!" TankDramon roared.

"Wrong!" Celena cried as she pulled out her digivice. Her pink digisoul formed around her fist, "Digi-Soul, Full Charge!" she cried as she energized her digivice.

"Lekismon shinka, Crescemon!" the rabbit warrior cried. "Lunar Dance!" She flashed away and repapered next to TankDramon. She slashed into his gray skin with her blades before flashing away. She reappeared next to the dragon and slashed again, and repeated the attack. Each time TankDramon turned and looked for Crescemon, she was already attacking from behind.

"Alright, go Crescemon!" Celena shouted triumphantly.

"Get away from me!" Tankdramon roared as it began glowing. The heat he let out from his body knocked Crescemon back. He roared as all of his guns and missiles aimed around his body. "All-Out Attack!" he roared as the light became too bright to look at. Celena shut her eyes and felt a knot in her stomach when she heard Lunamon scream and a flurry of explosions. When Celena opened her eyes she felt tears come to them. Lunamon's limp body was on the ground, covered in cuts and burns. She rushed over to her fallen friend to make sure she was still alive. But TankDramon landed in front of her, the force and weight of his landing knocking her off of her feet.

"I said get out of my territory." He growled. Saliva dripped from his mouth as he glared down hungrily at Celena. "Your digimon are as good as dead, and you will be too." He said threateningly. He roared as he lunged for Celena, and she flinched. She expected for the monster's teeth to sink in at any moment, but the never came. She opened her eyes to see a sword holding the teeth back.

"Are you alright?" a calm voice asked. Celena looked up and her jaw dropped when she saw her savior. It was a tall white night digimon. He had a ling cape behind him and kind blue eyes. His arms ended in an orange dragon-like head and a blue wolf-like head. The dragon one was holding the sword in it's mouth. "It's been a while since I've seen you Celena." Omnimon greeted.

"No kidding." She replied quietly.

"Hey Celena." A blonde haired man greeted.

"Grandpa Matt?" Loaño asked in shock.

"And me too." Another man answered, this one with brown hair.

"Uncle Tai?" Celena asked in equal shock.

"I'll kill you," TankDramon began.

"Oh shut up, Transcendent Sword!" Omnimon cried. His sword glowed orange before letting loose a wave of energy that obliterated the dragon and left a scar in the cliff. A gray digitama rolled on the ground harmlessly and bumped against Celena's leg.

"Wow." Jasper commented on the large gash in the cliff.

"Wow." Rai commented on the enemy's sudden destruction.

"Wow." Masurao commented on the attack's size and power.

"Wow." Adam commented on Omnimon.

"Yeah, 'wow' pretty much sums it all up." Sakura added.

"No kidding." Hanekuro and Kaya agreed quietly.

"I'm guessing everyone is alright." Omnimon said.

"Mostly." Kidd grimaced.

"I'm alright." Mushroomon agreed. "I think."

"My tail hurts, but I'm okay." Ryudamon said.

"The same here." Koinumon replied.

"What about Haseo?" Celena asked suddenly.

"I am not injured. I just need to practice more." Haseo answered, although he didn't sit up. "I'll explain what that was later. Thank you for saving us Sir Omnimon."

"It was no trouble." Omnimon answered with what would have been a modest smile if you could see his actual face. He looked down in confusion when he saw Dorumon staring at him in shocked awe. Omnimon looked sadly down at the small dragon as he looked up at the knight.

"I know you." Dorumon said in shock. "I can't believe it. I can't believe I'm metting Oni-sama!"

"What?" Matt and Tai both asked.

"Omni-sama!" Dorumon cried as he jumped up and grabbed the knight by his thin stomach. "I'm your biggest fan! I know every fight you've been in and you're my idol! I want to be just like you when I can become Ultimate level!"

"Please let go." Omnimon said quietly. Dorumon let go obediently and sat on the ground, staring at Omnimon happily with his tail wagging behind him. Omnimon stared down at Dorumon, Matt and Tai watching him closely. Finally he let out a sigh before picking Dorumon up and putting him on his shoulders. "We'll escort you to Gaiomon's castle. We were headed there anyway."

Dorumon swung his small arms around Omnimon's head and hugged it. "I can't believe I'm riding on your shoulders! I can't believe it! I bet FanBeemon will be jealous. Wait, speaking of my friends where's Kotemon?"

"I'm right here!" Kotemon yelled from behind a rock. "I tripped and got knocked out before the battle started."

"Yeah right." Sakura and Mushroomon muttered.

"Ryu-nisan forgot about me. He choose Omnimon over me." Haseo muttered sadly, still lying down on the ground. "Stupid fanaticism."

"Oh relax, he's just excited." Celena said as she walked over to him. "Need some help?"

"Yes." Haseo answered as he took her hand. Celena helped to pull Haseo up and caught him when he almost fell. "I can't move." He said quietly. "I think that knock back temporarily made my body numb."

"Fine, I'll carry you." Celena sighed, struggling to keep Haseo up.

"Here, I'll help." Tai offered.

"You do not have to do that. I can manage if you give me a few seconds." Haseo insisted.

"Shut up and let us help you." Celena shot back. "For a ninja you sure have a lot of pride and integrity."

"Clearly you have never read or watched Naruto." Haseo answered.

"He's got you there." Kaya agreed.

And so they made there way to Gaiomon's castle. Haseo being supported by Celena and Tai and Dorumon being carried by Omnimon. Everyone else walked next to them and everyone talked quietly, unaware of the two dark figures that had watched the fight and were now following them.

(A/N: Yeah it was short compared to my others, but it had a lot of action.)


	30. Chapter 30

Diclaimer: I don't own anything

Diclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 28: Memories of Freinds

"Straighten your posture. You must take aim at the target." Gaiomon instructed. "Pull the string back further."

"I'm trying." An eight-year-old Haseo said. "It's hard."

"Well try harder." Gaiomon said calmly. "Pull the string back farther, even if it feels like it might snap."

"I can't. It's too hard." Haseo said defeatedly.

"If you don't, then the bow won't work. The arrow will not go fast enough. You need to pull back farther and keep your aim steady." Gaiomon instructed.

"I can't!" Haseo yelled as his hands glowed white. The sudden urge of digisoul energy made the bow snap where Haseo was holding it. H gasped in pain and held his hand to his face. He felt tears coming to his eyes as the stinging pain coursed through his hand. "Owie." He said tearfully.

"You need to be more careful." Gaiomon instructed. Haseo ignored him and became dangerously close to crying. "Calm down, you're not injured." Gaiomon said. Haseostill ignored him and tears slowly started falling down his cheeks. "Haseo stop being so foolish. You are not injured and you are not bleeding. I know it stings but you need to get over it."

Gaiomon's harsh tone stopped Haseo's whimpering but he quickly started up again. "Haseo, enough! Stop acting so foolish!" Gaiomon yelled. Haseo finally broke down into tears and started crying. "Haseo, enough." Gaiomon said.

Haseo looked up at him as he was crying and Gaiomon recoiled slightly. "Don't look at me with those eyes. We need to get back to your lesson. Stop crying and focus." Haseo began crying harder and tears began streaming down his face. "Haseo, stop it!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Haseo sobbed and began crying even louder.

On the inside Gaiomon began to freak out. The Boss was very protective of Haseo and if he heard that Haseo had been yelled at then things would go badly. He stared down at Haseo worriedly before coming up with a sudden idea. It was probably the most immature thing he had ever done with his powers, but these were desperate times.

Gaiomon sat down on the ground so that he could show Haseo his trick up close. "Haseo, look." He said commandingly. The boy ignored him and continued crying. Gaiomon sighed when he realized that he still sounded commanding. "Haseo, I want to show you a magic trick." He said kindly.

Haseo stopped crying for a few seconds and stared at Gaiomon with tearful eyes. Gaiomon put his fist in front of Haseo and opened it to reveal a sparkling blue flame. Haseo looked at in interest and stopped crying entirely when the ball of flam lifted into the air. It floated above Gaiomon's hand and Haseo smiled when Gaiomon made it float around Haseo.

Haseo laughed when Gaiomon created even more fireballs. They floated and danced in the air and Haseo's smile grew even wider. Gaiomon smilled when he saw Haseo cheer up. 'Now for the grand finale.' He thought. The fires all collected in the sky and exploded in a burst of shining flames that made the whole night sky light up. Haseo began clapping as the light sparkles rained down and Haseo smiled when he felt the warmth they gave.

"That was amazing Gaiomon!" Haseo cried.

"I'm glad you liked it Haseo." Gaiomon replied with a smile. "Why don't we wait until a little later for more training? We can take a small break."

Haseo stopped and thought about it. He smiled as he answered, "That's okay Gaiomon. I want to try one more time. That way I can show the Boss and Ryu-nisan how much I've improved. Can I have one more try?"

"Of course Haseo. I'll be happy to teach you." Gaiomon answered.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Haseo slowly opened his eyes. He could feel a soft, thin bed under him. He looked around the large room and it took him a few minutes to remember what happened. After trying to help his brother digivolve to Perfect, His new weapon had rebounded and paralyzed him. Then shortly after that, Omnimon and his two partners had arrived on the seen and helped save everyone.

Then Dorumon acted like a super fan and nearly glomped Omnimon. Then Celena and Tai helped him limp to Gaiomon's palace, but along the way he finally gave into his fatigue and fell asleep. 'That was probably not enjoyable for Celena and Tai. I probably suddenly fell and they were taken down with me. I must remember to apologize for that later.'

Haseo turned over on the bed and tried to fall back to sleep. However the sliding door suddenly opened from behind him, interrupting his daze. He turned over and looked at Celena and Adam. They both walked in and Celena smiled down at Haseo. "I'm glad you're awake."

"How long have I been resting?" Haseo inquired.

"Over night." Adam said as he sat down next to Haseo. "We wanted to come in and see if you were up yet. Well, Celena did originally and Uncle Matt and Uncle Tai said that I should come too. They said I should make sure she didn't take advantage of you being asleep."

Celena's face lit up bright red and she punched Adam on the top of the head.

"Ow!" he cried as he held his head in his hands.

"Never say something like that again, especially in front of Haseo!" Celena scolded.

"Haseo, how can you like her? She's so mean and yet you and Jasper love her!" Adam yelled in disbelief. Celena punched the top of Adam's head again. "Ow!"

"I do not love her." Haseo protested quietly.

"Forget it, do whatever you guys want. I'm leaving." Adam said as he stood back up and retreated from the room.

"Honestly, he is so annoying sometimes." Celena sighed after her brother left.

"I suppose, but he is nice to have around. You are lucky to have a younger brother. I do not know what it is like to be the older brother." Haseo said quietly.

"Yeah well, it's not all it's cracked up to be." Celena commented. Haseo didn't answer and instead had a thoughtful look on the small part of his face Celena could see. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Haseo didn't answer, but instead he pulled out his arm and stretched it out in front of his face and looked at it thoughtfully. Ccelena watched him and wait for him to say something. Finally he asked, "Am I a burden?"

"What?" Celena asked.

"Am I a burden on Ryu-nisan?" Haseo asked.

"What do you mean?" Celena asked, unsure of what to say.

"No matter how I train, and what I do I am still just a human. We are physically inferior to the digimon in every way. There are many times when Ryu-nisan has saved me and times when I have accidentally annoyed him. So I wonder, would he be better off without me? With a digimon for a brother instead?" Haseo wondered.

Celena didn't know how to respond to Haseo's sudden questions. Haseo frowned and continued, "All of my life has been spent around these digimon. I have trained with them, and befriended them and yet I am not truly one of them. I am not their species. And I am not as strong as them. I am just a human, wishing to prove himself to his brother and surpass his set limitations. But deep down I know, I cannot. It is not possible." He finished as small tears filled his eyes. "I'm just inferior to them, and get in the way of my brother."

"No Haseo, that's not true." Celena protested. "You're strong. You're the strongest person I know."

"No, I am the strongest human person you know. Whether I wish to accept it or not does it matter. The fact remains that I am incapable of truly doing anything on my own. I cannot truly fight with out my brother with me." Haseo said as he lowered his arm.

"That's not true, you've fought tons of times." Celena protested.

"But I almost never did anything truly useful. What have I done? I have been a distraction so that Ryu-nisan could attack. I could never be as strong as him, no matter how hard I tried. I could never truly fight or win without him helping me." Haseo said quietly.

"That's not true Haseo. You are strong and you can fight on your own." Celena protested.

"Really? Tell me, when have I, and I alone, defeated a digimon? Do you truly believe that I could have defeated Drimogemon on my own? Or any digimon above Child level for that matter? Face it Celena, I am just trying to fool myself into thinking I'm really important. The truth is, I am holding Ryu-nisan back." Haseo said as tears slowly fell down his face. "I'm pathetic."

"That's not true!" Celena yelled. "I know how you feel. I want to be able to help Lunamon when she fights, but I can't. I know it hurts to have to be protected all the time, but you shouldn't count yourself out. Because, because I feel useless next to you Haseo!" Celena cried as her own tears started falling down her face.

Haseo looked at Celena as she dropped down to her knees and started crying. "Please, don't feel so bad about yourself. I know you feel useless, especially when compared to these digimon you've grown up with. You feel useless because you're being surpassed by all of your old friends because they're digimon. And even though you know you're human, and always have, you still feel weak when you see your brother fighting so strongly. You feel like you have been left behind by everyone, and you've struggled with trying to get stronger. But please understand, that you're not weak. You are by far the strongest person I know, counting digimon and humans."

Haseo slowly sat up and turned and hugged Celena as both of them continued crying. They sat like until both of they were both able to stop crying and calmed down. "You're right." Haseo whispered. "I hate seeing everyone I know and care about surpassing me. The Boss always said that being human was a great strength and I should not feel bad about being different. But deep down, I have always wished I were a digimon like all of my friends and family. I have always wished that I could surpass these limitations I've been given and actually do something for my friends, but I cannot. I just cannot and it hurts. It hurts being human." Haseo whispered before finally breaking out into more tears.

Celen rubbed his back and let Haseo cry on her shoulder. She gently laid him back down on the bed and held his hand as he continued to whine, for now the tears wouldn't come anymore. She gently stroked his hair and stayed by his side until he finally cried himself to sleep. Celena stayed in the room and continued to comfort Haseo. She frowned when Haseo turned over on his side and grabbed her hand with both of his and held it closer to him. She smiled and lied down next to him and held his hands in hers. She smiled at her friends innocent looking face and slowly fell into her own peaceful sleep.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"And remember that time you helped Alphamon beat Dexmon and save the digital world? That was so cool!" Dorumon cried from his spot on Omnimon's lap. The large knight remained silent as Dorumon continued rambling about his past adventures. Omnimon sighed lightly, wishing he could lay back on the large bed he was sitting on, but also didn't want to upset Dorumon.

Finally Dorumon stopped and looked up at the large knight. "Are you okay?" Dorumon finally asked. "You seem sad."

"I'm alright and I do remember saving the world with Alphamon. It's a shame he was taken away from the other Royal Knights and me. He was our leader, and my best friend." Omnimon said sadly.

"It sounds like you miss him a lot." Dorumon said. "But don't worry, digimon turn back into digitama so there's a chance you'll see him again. So don't worry about what happened in the past, but look forward to the future when you can see him again."

Omnimon looked down at the fur-covered dragon and a smile spread over his unseen face. "You're right. There will come a day when I can see him again. And when I do, I'll introduce you to him. I'm sure he would love to see someone as carefree and innocent as you."

Dorumon smiled before yawning and saying "Good night." He got off of Omnimon's lap and curled up on the bed. Omnimon watched the small dragon as he slept peacefully and found himself smiling again. He looked out at the large moon that was shining outside the window and whispered, "Maybe I really will see you again Alphamon."


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 29: Ryou's Here!?

"We're so lost!" Sakura yelled. The morning everyone woke up they repacked, said there good byes, and set out for the volcano. Currently they were walking through the maze of trenches between the cliffs.

"It sounded easy. Just head for the big mountain in the middle. But I guess it's much easier said than done." Hanekuro said.

"I thought you said you knew the way Haseo." Kaya said impatiently.

"Well, my friend and I have never actually met in the volcano area. Usually he would venture out to Gaiomon's Castle and we would play there until Ryu-nisan and I had to leave." Haseo answered sheepishly.

"Great, we're officially lost." Mushroomon grumbled.

"That sounds pretty accurate to me." Kidd said as he sat down on a large boulder.

"We could always just ask for directions." Loaño pointed out.

"But didn't the Boss say that some of the digimon around here are hostile? Maybe that's not a smart idea." Ryudamon said.

"Well we can't keep walking around in circles." Kaya said.

"Right!" Adam cried. "Arcadimon and I will find someone!" He and the spider like digimon ran off.

"Was that a smart idea, letting him go off on his own like that?" Sakura asked.

"He has Arcadimon, so probably." Celena answered. A loud roar echoed through the chasm and everyone ran towards the source of the noise. Adam was had fallen back from surprise in front of a large dinosaur digimon. It stood on all fours and was as tall as Dianamon, however it was much longer. It had vermilion skin and black plate scales on his back. A large horn jutted out of the tip of his nose. Adam grabbed Arcadimon around the waist and pulled him closer for protection.

"Who is that?" Masurao asked.

"Vermilimon, a large dinosaur digimon that dwells in hot areas like desserts and volcanoes. He's the Perfect form of Monochromon." Strabimon answered.

"What do you humans want?" Vermilimon roared, although it could have just been his loud talking.

"Um, we're looking for the path to the main volcano. Can you point us in the right direction?" Celena asked.

"Why? What business do you have there?" Vermilimon asked.

"Ryu-nisan, I mean Dorumon and I wish to see our friend. He is the prince of the Death Volcano." Haseo explained.

"Ha!" Vermilimon laughed. "You two little weak things? Hardly!"

"Hey, don't insult them like that!" Loaño yelled.

"Um, it is alright. He may insult me if he wishes." Haseo said, not wanting to fuel the angry digimon's fiery rage.

"No, he should apologize." Hanekuro added.

"Really he does not need to." Haseo insisted.

"You little bits of volcanic waste. I'll insult whomever I want!" Vermilimon roared.

"That is fine." Haseo said.

"That's not fine at all!" Dorumon roared.

"Why does nobody listen?" Haseo wondered aloud.

"I'll crush you!" Vermilimon roared as he blew a stream of fire from his mouth. Everyone quickly digivolved and moved their partners away from the flames.

"Get him, Ginryumon!" Hanekuro commanded.

"Yes Master! Bnattle Rod Breaker!" he cried as he jumped up and attempted to slam his glowing tail into Vermilimon. The large monster blocked with his horn and pushed him back. Ginryumon managed to land, although not gracefully.

"You're up, Inudramon!" Kaya cried.

"Reaving Sphere!" the large wolf cried as she fired a sphere of energy at Vermilimon. He roared and shot another stream of fire that destroyed the sphere and exploded in front of Inudramon. The wolf was knocked back but Crescemon caught her.

"You alright?" she asked.

"More or less. Be careful Crescemon." Inudramon warned.

"Of course! Lunar Dance!" Crescemon cried as she faded out and appeared at Vermilimon's side. She slashed into his side but gasped when her blades bounced off of Vermilimon's scales. "Nuova Luna!" she cried as she sent a crescent of ice energy at point blank range. Once again, the attack had no effect.

"Is it me, or are we sucking a lot lately?" Kidd asked.

Vermilimon swung it's tail and knocked Crescemon away from him. "You pieces of trash are nothing! You should have never come into our fiery domain!" he roared as he sent a stream of fire.

"Battle Rod Breaker!" Ginryumon cried as he tried to block the flames from hitting everyone. The conflicting attacks created an explosion that pushed him back and reverted him to Ryudamon.

"Ryudamon!" Hanekuro yelled as he rushed over to his partner.

"Your turn human!" Vermilimon roared. He let loose a large stream of fire aimed at Hanekuro.

"No!" Kaya yelled. Hanekuro flinched as he felt the heat approach him rapidly. He knew that any second he would feel the flames burn and melt his skin. And yet, the flames never came. He opened his eyes and gasped. A boy was blocking the flames with a katana. The flames dissipated and Vermilimon glared at the new comer.

"Who are you?" he roared.

The boy smiled at the large monster. He had straight white hair that partially covered his eyes. His eyes gleamed an emerald green. He wore a strange out fit. A white cloak that reached from his neck down to his ankles. A jacket was over that and he had white gentleman gloves over his hands. Next to him stood a Dorumon. "I don't feel the need to tell you that. You're about to die anyway." The boy answered.

"I don't think so!" Vermilimon roared as he charged at the boy. The Dorumon jumped forward and in a black flash he turned into a deathly looking Dorugamon with matted fur and wires showing were blood vessels should be. His clashes clashed with Vermilimon's horn and the dinosaur gasped "How are you strong enough to hold me back?" he roared.

"Good bye." The white haired boy said from under him. The blade ripped into Vermilimon's stomach and the dinosaur roared in pure agony as the boy sliced open his stomach. Vermilimon fell to his side and began panting heavily. The boy smiled calmly down. "Bye-bye." He said cheerfully as he stabbed the katana into his skull. Vermilimon exploded and reverted to a digitama.

"Wow." Ryudamon said in awe.

"Hi everyone." the boy greeted cheerfully. He sheathed his katana and the Dorumon stood by his side loyally.

"Who are you?" Kaya asked.

"Me? That hurts Kaya, I thought you would recognize me. You know me, right Ni-chan?" the boy asked as he looked expectantly at Hanekuro. Hanekuro stared at the boy in disbelief. He fell to his knees and tears began rolling down his cheeks.

"Ryou." He whispered.

"That's right!" the boy answered cheerfully.

"How?" Hanekuro cried. "How are you still alive?"

"It's a long story." Ryou answered. "But I would love to explain it."

A few minutes later everyone was sitting down and arranged in a large circle. Hanekuro and Kaya sat on opposite sides of Ryou. Everyone looked at him expectantly. "Well, I guess we should start back at the beginning." Ryou said quietly.

"Back when I was five I was kidnapped by a digimon. He had heard about what sort of powers we humans have and the influence we have on digivolution. It was the standard evil bad guy thing. 'I'll kidnap that boy and use his powers to become the ultimate being.' That kind of thing. Well in the middle of the night he stole me and retreated to the digital world."

"Then he tried to use me, but I was just a little kid. I hardly knew anything about digimon, digisoul, or really anything else. Pretty soon he got mad at me and tried to kill me but luckily I was helped by Dorumon here. He doesn't talk much but he's my best friend. Anyway, I searched everywhere for a way home and have been for ten years. I've learned how to use this katana and fight with Dorumon." Ryou explained.

"Oh, poor guy." Kaya cooed.

"I'm sorry." Hanekuro said as he hugged his brother. "I'm so sorry for what happened before you were taken. That last day we saw each other we got into a bad fight and hardly spoke to each other at all for the rest of the day. I'm sorry. Please, give e another chance to be your older brother." He cried.

"Of course, Ni-chan." Ryou answered as he hugged back. "So what happened after I was taken?"

"After you were taken mom and ad started getting into arguments. At first it was just small stuff, but as the year dragged on they got worse and worse until finally they had a divorce. Mom disappeared and I stayed with dad." Hanekuro explained. "I always felt that it was somehow my fault you disappeared and my fault they broke up." He cried.

"Don't worry Ni-chan, it's not." Ryou consoled as he hugged his older brother.

"So Ryou, you have wandered through the digital world all this time?" Haseo asked.

"Yep, you wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've seen." Rou answered.

"Trust me, yeah we would." Dorumon replied.

"So, you were here since you were five, correct?" Haseo inquired.

"Yeah." Ryou answered.

"Haseo, why does this sound like an interrogation?" Kay asked.

"Does it? I apologize Ryou. I hope you were not offended by my questions." Haseo apologized quickly.

"It's okay Haseo. So, what are you guys doing now?" Ryou asked. Everyone took turns explained about the Demon Lords, Tsukikuro, and everything else. "Wow." Ryou said when Celena finished. "That's quiet a bit. I hope I can help. You don't mind if I tag along and help out right?"

"Of course not!" Hanekuro shouted, for once a large smile on his face. "You can definitely come with us! Right guys?"

"Sure, he's welcome aboard the team." Celena answered.

Ryou smiled as he stood up next to his brother put an arm around him. "Then let's get moving! I can't wait to see this friend of yours Haseo. I was just there yesterday so Dorumon can lead the way." Everyone stood up and began walking towards the volcano. Everyone stayed around Ryou and asked him tons of questions, however Haseo stayed slightly off to the side.

"Something wrong?" Celena asked when she broke away from the main group.

"I do not know." Haseo answered as he stared at Ryou. "Something feels wrong."

"Why did you ask him about when he was eight?" Celena asked.

"Seven years ago the digital world was used by two rouge Royal knights to resurrect Lucemon. The entire digital world was turned into data energy and given to Lucemon. The Boss moved the four bases and his own mansion to a pocket dimension he created so that we would be safe." Haseo explained.

"And you're wondering what happened to Ryou." Celena said.

"Indeed." Haseo answered. "As the saying goes, not everything is adding up."

"Should we keep an eye on Ryou?" Lunamon asked.

"For now, that would be a wise idea." Haseo said.

"Hey, what are you guys doing over there?" Ryou asked. "Come on Haseo, Dorumon. I've gotten to know everyone but you guys." Ryou put an arm around Haseo and pulled him closer. "So, you've been in the digital world since you were a kid too, huh?"

"Yes, that is correct." Haseo answered as he removed Ryou's arm.

"I bet you have just as many crazy stories as I do, huh?" Ryou asked.

"Possibly." Haseo answered politely.

"Are you always this distant?" Ryou asked.

"Usually." Adam answered for him.

Ryou was about to say something else when a loud stomping stopped him. It got louder and closer, shaking the ground slightly every time it did. Around the corner of the trench a large dragon appeared. It stood as tall as Belouchimon had. It's skin was glowing, hardened lava. It's claws were a shining metal and a mask covered the top part of it's face. It's glowing yellow eyes looked down on the group as it's tail swung quickly. It roared as it shot it's head down, aiming right for the group.


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 30: Death Volcano

Everyone stared at the large volcanic dinosaur in a mixture of fear and awe. It roared before sending it's head down at them. "It's going to eat us!" Jasper yelled. Everyone flinched and expected someone to scream, but instead they heard something else.

'Laughter?' Hanekuro thought in confusion. Everyone opened their eyes and fell down anime style.

"Haseo, what the hell are you doing!?" Masurao yelled more out of confusion then anger.

The large dragon was rubbing it's large face against Haseo as if it were a large dog. Haseo was chuckling as it did so and was patting the beast's large metal face. "What?" he asked as he looked back at everyone with a smile.

"It's so good to see you again Haseo!" the dragon yelled excitedly. "It's been way too long!"

"Th-this thing is your friend!?" Celena shouted.

"Didn't see that coming." Ryou commented.

"What?" Dorumon asked. "It's the digital world and we said he was the next in line to be the leader here. Of course he's going to look big and scary. Almost all leaders do in someway."

"The Boss doesn't." Adam said.

"Are you forgetting his smile?" Lunamon asked as a shiver ran through her spine.

"Hey Volcdramon." Dorumon greeted.

"Hello Dorumon. I hope you've been keeping Haseo safe from everything." Volcdramon greeted with a slight threat in his voice.

"Ryu-nisan and Volcdramon are not on the best terms." Haseo explained to the group. "Volcdramon has always thought I should come live in his king's castle instead of with the Boss and Ryu-nisan. He is very protective of his friends and is always worried about them if they might be in danger."

"Wow." Was all Rai said as he looked at the large dragon.

"Next time Haseo, when we're going to meet your friend tell us if it's a huge digimon that we're used to fighting before we meet them please." Sakura sighed.

"I apologize." Haseo said sadly. "I did not realize you would be so shocked."

"Well enough of all of this." Volcdramon said. "Everyone hop onto my back and I'll take you to the castle." He bent down lower can stood next to a large rock. One by one everyone climbed onto the large dragon.

"Help Celena, I can't get up!" Adam squeaked as he tried climbing up Volcdramon's side.

"Stop it, stop it! That tickles!" Volcdramon laughed.

"Use the cooled volcano rock. It's armor, not skin, so you won't hurt him." Haseo instructed. Adam managed to climb up with the help of Arcadimon and managed to get on Voldramon, although not very gracefully. He bent over and helped Arcadimon up as well.

"Everyone ready?" Volcdramon asked.

"Let's go!" Lockheed yelled. Everyone but Haseo gasped when Volcdramon stood up and began walking. "Help Jas!" Lockheed cried as he almost fell off.

"Slow down Crater Face! We're loosing people back here!" Dorumon shouted.

Volcdramon sighed, but stopped moving. Jasper and Rai pulled Lockheed up. Lockheed was panting heavily from fear. "I know he's not that tall, but still that was scary." He muttered.

"Please go slow, Volcdramon." Haseo requested politely. Volcdramon sighed before slowly moving along so that nobody would fall off. He crawled along until everyone was okay with him moving faster. As he was walking everyone explained what was going on and why they had come.

"Really? Sounds like you've been having an interesting time. We received word that you guys were coming for a peace treaty but we didn't know the full story. Don't worry, the King hates the Demon Lords more than the Boss." Volcdarmon said. "And trust me, that's a hell of a lot, pun intended."

"Pun?" Hawkmon asked.

"Each of the Demon Lords supposedly has connections and secret powers based on the Seven Deadly Sins, although so few digimon live against them that nobody knows for sure." Strabimon explained. "I was briefed about them before coming to the human world."

"It really sounds like we're at a disadvantage." Mushroomon said sadly. "We're going against the Seven Deadly Sin Demon Lords of Pure Doom and Chaos with a hardly organized bunch of humans and insane digimon."

"Isn't that name kind of exaggerating?" Sakura asked.

"Not if you've seen them." Mushroomon answered.

"Can we talk about something nicer? I feel depressed now." Loaño commented.

"I agree." Kaya said. "So, how did you guys meet?"

"I've known Volcdramon since I was ten." Haseo began.

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"Hello!" Haseo cried fearfully. "Anybdoy!" He looked around frantically but only saw the large mounbtains and rocks around him. He felt like curling up and crying. "Ryu-nisan!" he yelled. "Please, anybody!"

Originally a game of hide-and-seek with Dorumon and Kotemon had sounded like a great idea. But a few twists and turns later and Haseo was hopelessly lost in the large mountainous area. He looked around, hoping against hope to find someone to help him but he didn't see anyone. Finally, he dropped down to his knees and began crying.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that but suddenly he saw a light glow from around the corner. He ran forward happily, thinking it was a search party looking for him. He turned the corner and fell back from shock just as Adam had. In front of him was a heavily injured Volcrdamon. He was panting heavily, his eyes barely open. "What do you want?" he growled menacingly.

"You are hurt." He said, still feeling the shock of finding the large beast.

"Oh gee, do you think so?" Volcdramon roared sarcastically.

"I guess, we are both in trouble then." Haseo said quietly. "You see, I am lost. I got separated from my friends."

"Yeah? Well I got the shit beat out of me by a DarkDramon." Volcdramon replied angrily. "And now I'm dyeing. I'll be gone by the time morning comes along."

"No!" Haseo cried as he stood up and rushed to Volcdramon. He tried frantically to move the large dragon but it was impossible. Volcdramon was just too big.

"What are you doing?" Volcramon asked.

"I don't care if I don't know you, I won't let you just die here." Haseo answered. "De-digivolve, then maybe I can help you."

"No way in hell!" Volcdramon roared so loudly Haseo was forced back down. "I never lower my guard around people, especially strangers!"

"Not even around your friends?" Haseo asked.

"One, you are not my friend. Two, I don't have any friends and that's the way I like it." Volcdramon growled.

"But how can you not have friends?" Haseo asked.

"Look at me kid, I'm a huge dragon made from living lava. Most people want to run from me." Volcdramon answered. "You wouldn't understand."

"Yes I would." Haseo answered sadly. "I'm a human. I hardly have any friends at all, and even then I only met them because of Ryu-nisan. I know it's hard being different, but there are people out there that can help you. There are good digimon that will be your friend even if they're scared."

Volcdramon stared at Haseo for a while. "Fine then, I'll trust you. I guess I don't reallt have a choice do I?" Volcdramon turned pure black. Suddenly cracks surrounded his body and it exploded into ash.

"No!" Haseo yelled.

"Relax." A softer voice said. Haseo looked up to see a weak looking man made purely of flames lying down in front of him. "That's just how I de-digivolve." He replied. Haseo ran over and picked him up without thinking. He brought him over his back and started dragging him in a random direction.

"Wait a minute." He said quietly. The digimon was pure flames, but there was no pain.

"Yeah, yeah, I trust you." Meramon answered. Haseo looked up at his face and smiled warmly before continuing on. Gradually he began to feel tired from Meramon's weight. Even though he was living flames he was still somewhat heavy and Haseo collapsed. "Hey, kid." Meramon said. He moved Haseo around and frowned when he saw he was knocked out cold. "He's exhausted." Meramon said. "He's been dragging me for an hour so I can't blame him I guess. Still, I can't believe he cares this much."

Meramon looked up at the sky and sighed. "Alright kid, I'm betting everything on you." He said as he formed all of his power into a fireball and shot it with all of his might into the sky. It created a large and bright explosion that could be seen for miles. Meramon glowed brightly before collapsing next to Haseo as a red dragon digimon.

"You better be right about your friends, kid." Guilmon muttered before slipping off into a welcomed sleep.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"Aw Haseo, that was so nice of you." Celena said.

"Well after I sent up the flare his friends found us and took us to Gaiomon's castle. He took care of us and while I was recovering Haseo stayed with me. Since then we've been great friends." Volcdramon explained. Everyone rode in silence until the arrived at a large castle that was literally built into the mountain.

Everyone slid off of Volcdramon's back and he de-digivolved to Meramon. "Right this way guys." He said as he led the group into the castle. The walls of the hallway were carved from the volcano itself and were an earthy red color. The hallway would have been dark if it weren't for Meramon lighting the area with his flaming body.

They came upon a large cavern that was brightly lit with several torches on the wall. Two hallways led out from the right and left, and a large ornately designed door was across from them. "Why do I have a creepy feeling about this?" Rai asked.

"I don't know, but I agree." Ryou answered as his Dorumon's fur stood on end. His savage eyes looked around the room. "I feels like we're being watched." Ryou commented.

"You are." Meramon said. "Those flames act similarly to things in your world called security cameras. The security is monitoring everything right now."

"That's creepy." Mushroomon said.

"You all must stay here. Ryu-nisan, Meramon, and I will meet the king up ahead. Do not leave this room." Haseo said seriously.

"Shouldn't we come with? It sounds pretty dangerous from the tone of your voice." Celena said worriedly.

"No, it is only dangerous for one of you." Haseo replied with a nervous smile. He, Meramon, and Dorumon walked into the large room and left everyone behind. Inside the large chamber was a throne made of volcanic rock. Sitting on it was a strong looking digimon wearing gray armor. It was the Death Volcano King, PileVolcanomon.

Haseo bowed low to the ground and Dorumon did the same. "Your majesty." Haseo greeted calmly, although underneath his calm exterior he was a nervous wreck. PileVolcanomon could crush him in an instant and he knew it. "I am humbled by your omniscient presence. You see all and know all in your land and I am merely a tiny speck in your kingdom."

"Indeed you are, now rise." PileVolcanomon said. Haseo and Dorumon both hesitantly rose and both stared at the ground near the king's feet. "Why do you not look at me?" the king asked.

"I could never look at you, lest your sheer appearance of power destroy my mind. You truly are the most powerful digimon in this world, far stronger than anyone." Haseo replied quietly.

'Except the Boss.' Dorumon thought.

'Man Haseo, you're really laying it on.' Meramon thought.

"Explain your reasons for being her." PileVolcanomon commanded.

"As you may know, the Demon Lords are becoming very active. The Boss has decided to fight against them and has enlisted the aid of some humans and their partners." Haseo began.

"Your Death Volcano area is right newt to where the Demon Lords live. If they get stronger, then it might be bad for you guys." Dorumon added. "You know the bad guys, always shooting for more evil."

"Exactly however Argomon, in all of his foresight and wisdom, has found a hidden route between the Demon Lords' area and the Death Volcano. The Boss wishes to make a deal with you so that the demon Lords do not succeed with their evil plans." Haseo finished.

PileVolcanomon sat back and thought about the situation. Finally he stood up and looked at Haseo and Dorumon. He opened his mouth and clearly spoke one devastating word.

"No."


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 31: Ryou's Secret

"What do you mean no?" Dorumon asked angrily.

"I mean no." PileVolcanomon repeated. "I will not lend my help to the Boss. My soldiers can fight off whatever threat the Demon Lords pose."

"Then what of the rest of the digital world?" Haseo asked, his anger rising for once. "Do you intend to let the Demon Lords destroy everything else."

"If that is what they choose to do, then yes." PileVolcanomon said. "Unlike the Boss and Royal Knights, I will not stick my nose where it doesn't belong. I will protect my fiery paradise and nothing more."

"You cannot be serious!" Meramon roared. "My King, how can you be so callus? Do you truly not care about the fate of this world at all? Are you so selfish that you would only care about your domain?"

"Silence!" the king's voice bellowed out. "You are overstepping your boundaries Meramon. I will excuse your outburst but do not let it happen again. You are all dismissed."

"Why you," Dorumon growled.

"Ryu-nisan!" Haseo commanded.

"But Otouto." Dorumon protested.

Haseo bowed and said "I respect your decision my king." He stood up again and the three left the throne room. They moved back into the main room where everyone was waiting anxiously for good news. Haseo quickly told them of the kings decision.

"But he can't do that!" Rai protested.

"He's the king Rai, unfortunately he can." Hawkmon corrected.

"But doesn't he care at all?" Sakura asked.

"No. I can't wait to rule this kingdom. Then I will gladly offer my help if the fight is still happening. But until then I can only try to persuade my king." Meramon answered.

"Thanks for at least trying." Jasper said.

Meramon nodded. "I'll allow you all to stay here for a little while and rest up, but then I'll need to send you back." He snapped his fingers and several floating fireballs with blue eyes appeared. "These DemiMeramon will show you to your room."

"Thank you Meramon." Celena said.

"I'm sorry if I can't change my king's mind." He apologized before walking away.

"Well we're screwed." Ryou stated. Everyone silently agreed as they each followed a DemiMeramon down the halls.

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Kaya wandered the halls of the castle looking for one of her friends. She had lost track of the quickly moving DemiMeramon "I can't believe we got lost in this place. Talk about embarrassing." She grumbled.

"It is rather unfortunate." Koinumon agreed. "I hope we find somebody to help us soon. I truly do not wish to wander these halls any further."

"I know what you guys mean. They're like a big maze." Someone said behind them. Before Kaya could turn around she felt a knife being held up to her throat. "Hard to tell what sort of things you'll find, huh?" the voice said as Kaya felt a gloved hand cover her mouth.

Kaya heard a struggling noise and then everything was silent. Koinumon had been captured as well. Now they were at the mercy of their captors. "What would you think if I said I was going to kill you?" her captor asked. Fear suddenly filled Kaya, her heart began beating faster as she began to panic. "Or maybe, I'll lock you up and save you for later."

Kaya grimaced and tried to pull away as she felt her captor's finger twirl through her hair. He seemed to grow angry and grabbed her hair. "Don't pull away from me like I'm some monster. Stop trying to run away." He hissed angrily. Kaya slightly nodded, trying to calm her captor down.

"I'm going to let go of your mouth so we can talk. But if you try to scream, I'll feel your chest swell up and I'll cut your throat before you can. Then the crimson tears will stain the floor in a beautiful design, understood?" Kaya nodded again and let out a sigh of relief as she felt the hand move from her mouth.

"What do you want?" she asked fearfully.

"I just want to talk, don't freak out." Her captor answered soothingly.

"Why shouldn't I freak out? You have a knife to my neck." Kaya answered angrily.

"I was afraid you would run away from me. People are often scared of me for stupid reasons, but I've found out how to talk to people without them running away. And just feeling their blood rush through their bodies and the fear in their hearts is marvelous."

"You're sick." Kaya growled. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm not sick!" he roared in return. "I'm not sick. He's the one who's sick! He hates me just because I want to live. Just because of what I do to live, he thinks I shouldn't be alive. But I'll prove it to him; I'll prove it to all of them that I am alive."

"Calm down." Kaya said, realizing how unstable her captor was. "Just calm down, okay? Clearly you are alive. I mean, you're here holding me aren't you?"

"Existing isn't the same as living." Her captor answered coldly.

"Well calm down. Getting worked up over other people will just get you too angry to think straight. If you get to angry then your hand might slip, and I can't talk with you if I'm dead. Right?" Kaya said, surprising herself with her own calmness.

"Kaya, I would never hurt you." Her captor whispered. "It's just that everyone runs from me all the time. I don't know how to get them to stay with me. And sometimes I get these horrible urges to kill and eat. It's horrible, but when I feel like that I actually like it. And just because of these feelings, he wants me to be dead."

Kaya gasped as she felt the blade press closer to her neck, almost enough to cut the skin. "He thinks that I'm evil." Her captor ranted. "He always says that I'm horrible and I should never have been born. That I'm a mistake, created for the sole purpose of the death of others. And then he tried to kill me, even after I came back. I tried to prove to him and his friends I had changed. I found a delightful body to have, but something happened then. My new body rejected me."

"What do you mean it rejected you?" Kaya asked.

"I mean it rejected me. It fought against me. Even after absorbing a weaker virus, I still wasn't strong enough. The body continued to fight me until finally he tried to get his friends to kill me. But they didn't. They were too stupid to finish the job. They saved their friends instead and then sealed me away in that dark hellhole."

"Who sealed you away?" Kaya asked calmly. She figured that if she could keep this psycho talking then one of her friends or somebody would find her and help her.

"They did. They used their powers and sealed me away. I hate them for it. As soon as I'm truly alive, they'll be the next ones who pay. Them, and those two knights too! Everyone will pay for what they did, and then finally when I have my own life I can return to my master. He'll be proud of me for finishing his plan."

"What plan?" Kaya asked.

"My master's plan to reset the world. To purify this world of the trash life. But his plan backfired. His own puppet fought against him so he created me from him. But even then he continued to fight against my master. And then when I tried to defend him, he killed me. He forced me back into his body, but I was lucky enough to escape with the help of Diaboromon."

"Diaboromon." Kaya whispred. 'Where have I heard that before?' she thought. If she could only remember then maybe she could figure some of this out. "Who is that? What is that?"

"A virus that attacked a digitama. It created Diaboromon in a somewhat similar way to my own creation. But in his case, the virus as the one who took on the form and control, while his host was trapped inside, and not the other way around!"

"Calm down." Kaya soothed. "I can tell you're angry, but you need to calm down. You're life is,"

"I told you I have no life!" her captor bellowed. Kaya felt his muscles tense up as he prepared to cut her throat. Everything would end here, and she wouldn't even know why. 'Please, Hanekuro please help me.' She thought desperately.

"What is going on?" a voice asked.

"Haseo!" Kaya yelled happily. She knew that just a few feet away stood her friend Haseo, ready to save her. Maybe Hanekuro showing up would have been a little more romatic, but 'Why the hell am I thinking of romance at a time like this? I don't even feel that way for Kuro-kun!' mentally scolded herself.

"Oh, hello Haseo." Her captor said as he let go of Kaya and quickly slid the knife into his sleeve. Kaya ran forward and turned around to find Ryou smiling at Haseo. "That was kind of embarrassing huh? I kind of snuck up on Kaya and I believe the term is 'glomped' her from behind. I was so excited to see her again I got a little over excited and scared her. Silly me, come on Dorumon, we need to leave."

Ryou passed Kaya without even a second glance, his Dorumon following behind him loyally. Kaya watched him walk away with a blank look on her face. Haseo walked behind Kaya and lightly put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright Miss Kaya?" he asked worriedly. "You look horrible."

"Yeah, that's exactly what a girl wants to hear." Kaya muttered sarcastically.

"I am sorry, but I merely meant you look very shaken." Haseo corrected himself.

"It's Ryou. He was acting so insanely before you showed up. He kept saying how someone wanted to kill him and that he wasn't really alive." Kaya answered as she wrapped her arms around herself. "It was so scary. He was holding a knife to my throat and kept saying really weird things. Something is seriously wrong with him."

"We still do not know what has been happening to him. It is possible that he has witnessed some of the more disturbing things in this world." Haseo said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean 'disturbing'? Do you mean like those digimon at the mansion? They all seemed so nice. Even if they do look evil, I really don't think they could hurt anybody." Kaya said.

"Maybe not, but remember our enemies. The Demon Lords have no problem with harming people and digimon a like. Just think of those humans with them. We still do not know why they are aligning themselves with our enemies." Haseo replied.

"You're right but," Kaya paused, reluctant to finish her sentence.

"You are worried about Hanekuro." Haseo answered for her. "I understand your feelings. I am worried for how Hanekuro will be effected when he hears about this."

"He won't believe it." Kaya said sadly. "He's been so torn up about Ryou's disappearance to the point that he's blamed himself for it. He might seem distant to people but it's more than that. Hanekuro's always beat himself up about Ryou because they had an argument right before Ryou disappeared. Sometimes I worry about him, because he's hurt himself before about this." Kaya suddenly flung her arms around a very surprised Haseo, but he allowed her to stay.

"Do you mean he has harmed himself because of how horrible he feels?" Haseo asked.

"Yes." Kaya sobbed into his shoulder. "If something is wrong with Ryou, then I don't think Hanekuro could handle it. I'm afraid of what will happen if he gets separated from his brother again."

Haseo wrapped his arms around Kaya gently and the two digimon stood next to her and gently pet her back. "I will not let that happen Kaya. I do not know how I will, but I promise I will help you give Hanekuro a happy ending." The three of them continued comforting Kaya until she pulled away from them. Haseo took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.

She smiled and used it to wiper her eyes. "Even when you're dressed for Halloween you still act like a gentleman." She said. "Thanks for cheering me up guys."

"Of course." Koinumon said.

"We're happy to do it." Dorumon agreed.

"We certainly are. With everything happening the way it is, with the enemies we have to face, and with the problems we all have we need to stick together." Haseo agreed. "No matter what comes our way, we must stand strong together."

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"So which one of you is going to attack the volcano?" Lucemon asked. "The humans are already there so if we can destroy the mountain then we will get rid of several thorns in our collective side at once."

"Not me, I already did my fighting." Belphemon said.

"I'm a lover, not a fighter." Lilithmon said.

"I prefer to strategize from the background." Barbamon said.

"I'll go and bring along my two assistants." Daemon said. "I'll enjoy messing qwith Haseo and Dorumon some more."

"I'll go too. I'll be more than happy to fight the king of that mountain." Beelzemon said.

"Excellent, we have a plan then." Lucemon said.

"Oh Daemon honey, take my new pet too. I want to see just what he can do." Lilithmon said as she opened a portal. She emerged a few seconds later holding a long chain.

"Certainly." Daemon said as he snapped his fingers and a cloaked boy and Kumamon appeared from the shadows. "Let's put an end to this boring story arc once and for all!"


	34. Chapter 34

I'm so sorry for the late update. I'd make several excuses and all but something tells me you'd rather read the next chapter rather than my rambling. To make up for the long wait I've made this chapter extra long!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 32: Loaño's Glowing Strength, Strike Down the Enemy KnightGarurumon!

"_Happy Birthday Loaño!" the young boy cried happily._

Why do I always have this dream?

"_Thanks Touma, come on in we're just about to start the party." Loaño answered excitedly as she took the wrapped package from her blonde friend._

"What is it about this day that always makes me so sad?

"_Hey, there's the birthday girl!" Loaño's father cried happily. He picked the now nine year old girl up and, despite her slight embarrassment of being picked up in front of her friend, couldn't help but laugh._

It's not like today was when everything changed. It was years from now.

"_Hey dad, she's in here!" her father called back. Her grandfather walked through the room. He had fading blonde hair but his eyes were still as bright a blue as ever he smiled at his granddaughter and her friend._

Is this what I should be remembering?

"_I've got a special present for you Lo." Her grandfather said as he took out a small box. Loaño looked at it with interest but also boredom._

"_I don't like jewelry Grandpa." Loaño said._

"_Lo, don't be rude." Her friend said._

"_This isn't ordinary jewelry." Her grandfather continued. "This was given to me by a close friend of your parents'. He wanted me to make sure it ended up with the right person." Loaño opened the bow to find a blank dog tag attached to a silver necklace. Her grandfather put it on her and he smiled at her. "A perfect fit, just like I thought." He said._

"_That looks pretty cool Lo." Her friend said as he tried to relieve her disappointment._

Pretty cool huh? Recently I've been thinking, this damn necklace is part of my problems. Back then, I had no idea what sort of things would happen in two years.

"_Alright, you and Touma go and play." Her father said. "Your Grandpa and I need to talk about something important."_

"_Can I open my presents soon?" Loaño asked. Her father chuckled._

"_Yes, just go and if you see him tell Biyomon to come here." Her father answered._

"_Okay!" Loaño chimed happily as she and Thomas went to play. "Come on Touma, let's go find where Kidd is."_

Things were so nice back then. But in a year, everything changed for the both of us. Everything changed for all of us.

Loaño slowly opened her eyes, but closed them when they met a bright light. She slowly opened them again and sat up in the bed she was in. Her room looked as if it had been carved out of the mountain she was staying in, which it probably was. The DemiMeramon had led them all to a group of rooms that were close to each other, and Loaño figured they all looked the same. She looked across the room to see Kidd sleeping in the other bed.

'Are you alright?' a kind, familiar voice asked.

'You.' Loaño thought. 'You're that voice from before. What's your name again?'

'You may call me AA.' The voice answered. 'Are you feeling alright?'

'Not really, in fact I feel down right lousy. Oh well, at least I woke up before the bad part happened.' Loaño answered.

'You can thank me for that. I helped wake you up before things got to that part.' AA answered.

'Normally I'd be mad at you invading my thoughts and dreams but this time I think I'm happy.' Loaño thanked the voice.

'Don't thank me. The fact that I am part of you is wrong in it's very essence.' AA replied.

"What are you?" Loaño wondered aloud.

"Sleepy." Kidd answered as he sat up and stretched. He looked over at his partner and frowned. "You okay Pup?" he asked.

"Kidd, do you know a digimon named AA?" Loaño asked. Kidd's face feel when he heard the name, meaning he probably did. Kidd stood up and walked over to her.

"Has he contacted you?" Kidd asked.

Loaño nodded. "He did a while ago too, but at the time so many thing were happening that I didn't bother telling you."

"This was how you knew about the Crests wasn't it?" Kidd asked. "Your Gramps never told you anything about them, so I wondered if he had spoken to you yet. I guess I have my answer."

"Kidd, what is he?" Loaño asked as she looked up at him.

Kidd looked down at Loaño's confused face. She looked more vulnerable than she ever had before, and that was saying a lot. He tried to form words, but they failed to come out of his mouth. Finally he bent down and hugged her. "It's not for me to say Lo." He answered. "He'll fill you in when he wants to." Loaño hugged her partner back and suddenly felt like crying. She let the tears roll down her face and dampen Kidd's fur.

A knock at the door pulled them out of their sadness. "Who is it?" Loaño shouted.

"It's Celena. I'm coming in." her cousin answered. The door opened and the red haired girl came in quickly. Loaño and Kidd could instantly see there was something wrong with her and Lunamon.

"What's going on?" Kidd growled.

"I'm not entirely sure, but something is happening. Haseo woke Lunamon and me up and,"

"After an embarrassing moment." Lunamon added.

Celena glared at her partner but continued anyway. "He said that Dorumon had sensed something really bad and his crest was acting up. I looked over and saw my Crest was glowing as well." Celena revealed her necklace which was indeed glowing bright pink. "Haseo said the Boss told him our Crests would react whenever great sources of Light or Darkness were around, and it looks like yours is doing the same." Loaño looked over to see her Crest glowing silver and wondered how she had missed that.

"Wait, why didn't they react to the Boss then?" Loaño asked.

"Apparently he has a way of cloaking his powers or something. Basically they just don't and we have to accept it, the same as everything else the Boss does." Celena answered. "The point is, Haseo said that the only thing that could make our Crests freak out like this would be if one of the Demon Lords were attacking."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner!?" Loaño yelled as she jumped up and got dressed as quickly as she could. "Let's go then, we need to get ready for them."

"Right!" Lunamon cried as she and the other three ran out of the room. They all met in the hallway that connected the line of rooms. Everyone looked confused as Haseo and Celena woke everyone else up. Once everyone was together, Haseo quickly explained what was happening.

"Wow, like a bad guy detector or something." Ryou said as he looked at the glowing Crest.

"It can work with allies too, or rather beings of strong Light energy. Nobody really noticed it but it had a similar but weaker effect when we met with Omnimon." Haseo replied quickly, feeling uncomfortable with the possibly unstable Ryou so near him.

"So do we at least know where the Demon Lords are?" Rai asked.

"Or which of them are here?" Sakura asked.

"No, the Crests are not truly meant to work like this. It is merely a normal reaction that can be used to a small advantage." Haseo answered.

"I think we should head to the throne room so we can warn PileVolcanomon." Dorumon suggested. Everyone agreed and waited for somebody to say 'Follow me' or something similar. Nobody did.

"Does anybody know the way back?" Mushroomon asked.

Everyone gave a collective "No."

"I really should have paid more attention to the route the DemiMeramon showed us." Haseo muttered.

"I feel kind of stupid now." Masurao agreed.

"Hold on, why don't we just use our digimon?" Sakura suggested. "You guys have a great sense of smell and hearing normally, right? Why not lead us back to the throne room?"

"We'll try, but honestly everything smells like volcano rock." Koinumon answered. She, Ryudamon, the two Dorumon, and Lockheed all began sniffing the air delicately. Lunamon and Strabimon both leaned ahead, their ears tense and attentive. Everyone waited patiently for their partners to find something useful to guide them. Strabimon's eyes shot open.

"I hear something!" he cried. "But, but it's not PileVolcanomon or any of hi followers. I can hear two people talking. One of them has a gruff voice, and the other a really hazy one, It's hard to make it out. It sounds like they're talking about their followers. The gruff voice is saying how he thinks the other voice's three pets are creepy. There getting closer!"

"Damn, what do we do then?" Masurao asked fearfully.

"We need to put distance between us and them." Jasper answered, taking charge of the situation.

"Hold on, maybe we'll get lucky." Ryou said. "Maybe they actually know where they're going. If we're lucky they'll turn somewhere and head for the throne room. Then we can attack them from behind!"

"That's a great idea!" Hanekuro cried proudly. "Good job Ryou."

"Hanekuro." Kaya muttered sadly, her friend still unaware of his brother's possible instability.

"That won't work. The Demon Lords are stronger than us." Koinumon said.

"I agree. Even if we do get a surprise attack it won't matter." Hawkmon added.

"Hey, my plan is good. It'll totally work!" Ryou said angrily.

"Yeah, I trust my little brother." Hanekuro added.

"No." Celena said decisively. "I'm sorry Ryou, but I agree with Jasper about this. I'm the leader so we're going with his plan." Ryou glared at Celena for a moment before he suddenly smiled widely.

"Okay then, you're the boss!" Ryou said happily.

'And you're bipolar.' Kaya thought to herself.

"Right then, let's go!" Adam cried as the group ran down the hallway. Strabimon and Masurao stayed in the rear so the dog digimon could listen for the Demon Lords. The group ran down the straight hallway in order to distance themselves from the Demon Lords.

"The demon Lords and their friends are getting faster! I think they might have spotted us!" Strabimon cried urgently.

"Hey Jasper, I've got an idea!" Adam suggested.

"What is it Adam?" Jasper asked.

"Maybe we should split up. That way The Demon Lords will have to divide their numbers too. Then one of our teams will find PileVolcanomon and The demon Lords will have their collective strength divided." Adam said proudly.

"Normally that'd be a fairly dumb plan but in this case we can't do much else. Everybody spilt up!" Jasper cried. The group slowly disbanded as the came across other hallways. Loaño and Haseo were the first to break off. Sakura, Rai, and Jasper went down another hallway. Ryou, Hanekuro, Masurao, and Kaya continued running down the central hallway.

"We've split up, now what?" Loaño asked.

"We make sure to draw one of the Demon Lords' or their followers' attentions." Haseo answered. He quickly digivolved Dorumon to Dorugamon who turned around and aimed down the hallway. "Kidd, I need you to tell Ryu-nisan when the Demon Lords are coming."

"You're just going to attack them?" Loaño asked.

"Yes. It is really the only thing we can do to make sure they know we are here." Haseo answered calmly. Kidd listened for their enemies to approach, his hand raised to give Dorugamon the signal. Dorugamon prepared to launch a cannonball down the hallway the minute the Demon Lords were in his line of sight, so to speak.

"Now!" Kidd roared. Dorugamon shot a large cannonball down the hallway. A large explosion shoed down and someone cursed angrily.

"I get the feeling they're down there." A gruff voice said excitedly.

"Indeed." A much quieter voice said. Even though it was quieter it echoed through the hallway, making it sound as if it's owner was standing right next to Haseo and Loaño. "Haseo, Dorugamon, is that you?' the voice asked. "My, my, you seem to be very brave today. Attacking me like that out of the blue. Some would say it's very noble to try to draw the enemy's attention towards you, but I know the truth. You're just trying to make up fro what you've done."

"Shut up!" Haseo cry rang through the hallway. "That is not true, I, I"

"It is true." Daemon said as he was suddenly in front of the white haired boy. Kidd and Dorugamon both lunged at him but he easily pushed them away, his green eyes not leaving Haseo's petrified yellow ones for an instant.

"Poor little Haseo, playing dress up." Daemon said in a taunting voice as he took off Haseo's hat. "Still wishing you weren't so weak? I can still help you with that if you want."

"Get away from me!" Haseo cried as he pulled away from Daemon, tripping in the process. He landed with Daemon looming over him.

"Prove me wrong then. I'm going ahead to the throne room while my little toys deal with Loaño and Kidd. If you think you're so strong, then why don't you stop me?" Daemon taunted as he walked past Haseo. The white haired boy seemed to be frozen in place. Light tears ran down his face as he shuddered in fear.

"Otouto." Dorugamon said worriedly.

Loaño looked at her sad friend but Kidd tapped her on the shoulder. "I think those two toys or whatever of Daemon's are coming this way. We better get ready for them." He growled urgently.

"Right." Loaño, fierce determination in her silver eyes took action. She turned to Haseo and pulled him up. "Haseo, I'm not sure what Daemon's done to you before but you need to get over it! Right now he's walking down that hallway and heading for the king. If the king dies then we're screwed in one way or another. So get off your depressed ass and go stop him!"

Haseo stared in Loaño at surprise. His hand clenched into a fist and he nodded. He bent down and put his hat back on and looked to Kidd and Loaño. "You take care of Daemon's minion, but be careful. If it is Bearmon then you must be very cautious."

"Good luck to you too." Loaño said excitedly.

"Right, let's go Otouto!" Dorugamon roared as he grabbed Haseo and thre him onto his back. Dorugamon rushed down the hallway leaving Kidd and Loaño to wait for their own opponents to come down the hallway. It didn't take long for the small bear and cloaked figure to arrive. They stared at Loaño before the cloaked figure wordlessly evolved Bearmon into Grizzmon.

"This should be easy." Kidd chuckled as he rushed the larger bear. "Knockout Fist!" he roared as his fist slammed into Grizzmon's chest. The large bear was knocked back a few feet, giving Kidd another opening. Kidd unleashed a flurry of punches on Grizzmon, knocking him back further with every strike. Kidd pulled back one more time as Grizzmon stumbled and let loose a powerful punch right onto Grizzmon's face.

Grizzmon stumbled back again and shook his head. He looked up at Kidd with blank eyes and a clear face. His large claws glowed a she lunged forward and knocked Kidd back to where he had started fighting with a single swipe of his claw. Kidd landed roughly next to Loaño. "Damn, all of those punches and I didn't do a thing to him." Kidd growled as he stood back up.

"Come on Kidd, are you really going to loose to an overgrown Smokey like him?" Loaño asked.

"More like an overgrown Smokey the Bear on steroids." Kidd growled in return. All the same, he stood up and glared at the large bear. He charged at Grizzmon and delivered yet another normally bone shattering punch to Grizzmon's face. Grizzmon didn't flinch in the least, his blank eyes still staring at Kidd. "Oh hell." Kidd muttered before Grizzmon spun around and delivered a powerful kick with amazing speed and accuracy you wouldn't think possible from a digimon of his size and shape. Kidd flew down the hallway and crashed into one of the walls.

"We need a new strategy Kidd. Just beating on him won't work." Loaño said urgently as she ran over to her partner.

"I know that, but I'm not really good at much else." Kidd answered as he weakly stood up, a large bruise forming under his fur where he had been kicked.

'AA, are you there?' Loaño asked.

'I'm right here Loaño. And before you ask, I'm afraid I don't have any ideas either.' AA answered.

Before Loaño could stop him Kidd ran towards the bear again, his arm pulled back to punch. Grizzmon also charged, his claw raised above his head to strike. The two digimon swung their attacks at the same time, the fist and claws meeting for a moment before the combined energy between them knocked them both back.

'Loaño, I do have one idea.' AA said calmly as Loaño ran towards her hurt partner. Kidd looked like he was down for the count. His bruise was getting bigger and he had a large cut in his side.

'Anything! I won't let Kidd get hurt anymore!' Loaño answered.

'I understand.' AA answered as he seemed to fade from her mind. Loaño fearfully searched him out, but didn't even sense a glimmer of his consciousness. Loaño stopped, a splitting pain shooting through her head suddenly. She grabbed her head in pain as a memory came flooding back.

The fire. Her parents' motionless bodies. Tears running down her face. Kidd lunging at some unseen culprit but being knocked back. The funeral. Crying as she was comforted by her grandfather. She was going back to earlier that night, when she was still asleep.

"_Kammito, I'm worried about her." A soft voice said in the darkness_

Mom?

"_I know, but this is the only way. We knew what would happen from the beginning." A deeper voice answered._

Dad?

"_I only wish we could stay a little longer. But, I suppose everyone always does." Her mother said. Loaño felt her kiss her forehead, and felt the tears that were rolling down her face._

"_Keep her safe Kidd." Her father said. Loaño couldn't see, but had a feeling her father had just pet Kidd's sleeping head._

"_Are you two ready?' a familiar voice asked._

The Boss?

"_Yeah, as we'll ever be." Her father answered._

"_You've got until nine o'clock. That's when it'll happen." The Boss answered quietly._

It'll happen? Did the Boss know about what would happen?

"_A life measured in a minutes." Her father muttered bitterly._

"_I'm so sorry about all of this. If their was any other way I would turn to that, but the only way for her to be strong enough is for AA to be with her." The Boos replied, a strange and alien emotion in his voice._

Is he, guilty?

"_I understand Boss." Her mother said quietly. "If it's to protect our daughter, then we'll do anything. That's always been or decision and it still is now." Her mother rested her hand against Loaño's forehead and she felt it heat up. Loaño squirmed in discomfort as she felt a strong energy flow into her body._

What's going on? I don't get this! Is this when you became part of me AA?

_Yes. Now, awaken the power that's been dormant in you!_

Loaño's eyes snapped open as she was brought back to reality. Her silver eyes glowed brightly as she took out her digivice. Her necklace glowed as she was covered in her silver Digisoul. Her digivice changed just as Celena's had. It was the same shape as hers. It's main body was a pristine silver, and the three buttons were a light gray. Loaño's didisoul converged on her right hand. "Digisoul, Full Charge!" she cried a sshe energized her new Digivice.

"KiddGarurumon digivolve to, KnightGarurumon!" Kidd was surrounded in a glowing silver light. When he emerged he had a glowing cape around him that created a hood that hid his face. His lower arms and legs were covered in shining armor and two large swords were strapped to his back.

"My Digisoul?" Loaño wondered as she stared at her glowing hands. "But how? I haven't been able to use this for years."

'Consider it part of my thanks.' A tired AA answered.

"Alright, ready for another round Smokey?" Kidd roared. Grizzmon lunged at Kidd but he easily blocked the glowing claw with a single hand. Surprise flashed over Grizzmon's face as Kidd picked him up and tossed him across the room. Before he landed Grizzmon turned into dark energy that surrounded his cloaked partner. The two roared in pain as they formed into Callismon.

'Damn, they really can go to their Ultimate form!" Loaño cursed.

'No!' AA warned. 'They might look like it, but they are not as strong as an Ultimate. A Perfect like Kidd can easily take him down if you both focus.'

"Alright then, don't hold back Kidd. Let's cut these two down to size!" Loaño cried.

"Right!" Kidd roared as he drew his two halberds, holding both in his hands despite their large sizes. Callismon roared a she fired several missiles from his mechanical arm. Kidd swung his swords and destroyed the missiles with hardly any damage to himself. He charged forward as Callismon tried to crush him with his claw. Kidd raised his swords and blocked the claw from striking him. He jumped above Callismon, his head grazing the top of the tall hallway. He flew downward and with one large strike, cut Callismon in half.

Callismon had a look of shock on his face as he looked down at Kidd. The two halves of the evil bear glowed and exploded into a storm of dark energy that knocked Kidd back and forced him to dedigivolve. He landed on the ground with a crash, while Callismon reverted to the cloaked figure and an unconscious Bearmon.

"Kidd are you okay?" Loaño shouted as she ran over to her partner.

"Just fine Pup." Kidd answered as he tried sitting up. Loaño tried to help him and let out a sigh of relief when she saw his wound wasn't as bad as she thought. It'd hurt like hell, but she thought he'd live. He winced from pain when he sat up with Loaño's help.

"What happened?" a soft voice asked.

Loaño and Kidd looked to the cloaked boy who was on his hands and knees. His cloak was hanging very loosely from him so it was easy fro him to take it off. Loaño gasped when she saw the boy underneath. He was probably fifteen, but his face was so pale and soft looking he could easily pass as someone younger. He had short brown hair and sleepy blue eyes. He was wearing a white t-shirt with black borders and jeans, both of which looked very clean and simple. He looked around, his fatigue reflected in his eyes.

His gaze landed on Loaño and his face screwed up in concentration for a minute. "Zoe?" he asked but then shook his head. "No, her hair is longer." He muttered. He continued looking around, Kidd and Loaño both without a clue of what to do. The boy's gaze fell on the unconscious bear digimon. "Bearmon!" he cried as he weakly stood up and stumbled towards his partner. He tripped and landed in front of the bear, tears streaming down his eyes. "Bearmon what happened to you?" he sobbed.

"He doesn't remember anything." Kidd muttered.

"I think that's for the best." Loaño answered.

"I think it's a crappy way out!" a loud voice cried. Loaño and Kidd both stood up and glared towards the entrance. Emerging from the darkness was the biker from hell, Beelzemon. He smiled at them, his grin full of evil intent. "Looks like I've got to clean up this mess. I always wandered what would happen when Daemon's toy broke, but I always expected something a little more entertaining. Not some damn 'Oh what happened, where am I?' shit. Oh well, at least Daemon's reaction should be funny."

"Beelzemon." Kidd growled.

"That's right little puppy, I'm Beelzemon." The demon biker said as he drew his twin double-barreled hand guns. "And you're my new prey!"


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 34: Ryou's Secret, Checkmate HishyaRyumon

"Kaya are you okay?" Hanekuro asked worriedly. His friend had tripped on a rock and went flying down to the ground. Hanekuro and Ryou both bent down to help there fallen friend.

"You need to be more careful Kaya." Ryou chuckled as he held his hand out to her. Kaya looked at it and suddenly felt an intense fear grip her heart. Her hand flew out and smacked the boy's hand away.

"Get away from me!" she yelled fearfully.

"That was a little harsh wasn't it?" Masurao asked, surprised by the normally calm and happy girl's outburst.

"Yeah I'm only trying to help." Ryou said, giving Kaya a wide and happy smile.

"I don't need you're help." Kaya answered as she stood up on her own.

"Hey, come on Kaya be a bit nicer to Ryou." Hanekuro said, confused by his friend's actions.

"Kuro-kun," Kaya said worriedly. She looked at Ryou who smiled back as he stood up. 'He still doesn't know about Ryou. What am I supposed to do? If I tell him then Ryou might go berserk and I really don't think Kuro-kun could take it.'

"Something wrong Kaya?" Koinumon asked worriedly.

"Yes, you're acting very jumpy." Ryudamon added.

"It's just," Kaya stopped. She tried forming the words but couldn't. It would devastate Hanekuro, and who knows what Ryou would do. 'No, I have to be honest. If something is wrong with Ryou then the only way to help him is to tell the truth.' "I'm just really worried." She answered lamely.

"Is that all?" Hanekuro chuckled. Kaya glared at him, surprised her stoic friend had actually chuckled at her. "Relax Kaya, we're all worried but the Demon Lords won't win. We won't let them right guys?"

"Yes Master." Ryudamon said loyally.

"Of course not!" Masurao said confidently.

"There's nothing to worry about." Strabimon added.

"But there is." Kaya said quietly.

"Is something wrong Kaya?" Ryou asked, his kind smile looking sinister to Kaya.

"Kuro-kun." Kaya muttered. "Yesterday, I saw Ryou in the hallway."

"Me?" Ryou asked.

"So?" Hanekuro asked, not sure of why that was important or causing his friend to panic. He failed to notice Dorumon's eyes glaring at Kaya intensely.

"He grabbed me from behind and held a knife to my neck." Kaya cried. "He kept ranting about how he wasn't really alive and that someone was trying to kill him. I think he might have actually killed me if Haseo hadn't come in time." Everyone was silent, Masurao and Strabimon looked shocked, Hanekuro and Ryudamon looked disbelieving, and Ryou and Dorumon's faces were completely blank.

"Kaya, what do you mean?" Hanekuro asked, a confused smile on his face. "Ryou what's she talking about?"

"I'm not sure." Ryou answered with a shrug. "Dorumon and I were in our room all last night."

"That's not true." KoInumon said angrily. "Dorumon and Ryou both attacked us last night."

"I've got no idea what they're talking about." Ryou said simply.

"Kaya what's wrong with you?' Hanekuro asked. "Why are you lying like this?"

"Kuro-kun I'm not!" Kaya cried fearfully. "He held a knife or something to my neck last night. He was rambling on like a psychopath and saying how someone wanted him dead!" The hallway was silent for a few moments until Ryou started laughing.

"Oh I get it." He laughed. "You're jealous, aren't you? You think that with me around you won't be able to be with your little Kuro-kun. You think that he'll be too busy checking up with me to be able to hang out with you." Ryou continued chuckling at Kaya.

"Kaya is that what this is about?" Hanekuro asked, a relieved smile on his face. "Are you afraid I won't have any time for you?"

"No, I'm not making this up!" Kaya cried.

"Well this is a little awkward." Masurao muttered.

"Please you've got to believe me!" Kaya pleaded.

"Kaya, enough. I'm getting really tired of this now." Hanekuro said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Master, maybe we should hear her out." Ryudamon said worriedly.

"Not you too Ryudamon!" Hanekuro cried in disbelief. He walked over and put an arm over his little brother. "Come on you guys, this is my little brother we're talking about here. He's not insane. No more than a normal little brother would be."

"Thanks." Ryou said happily. "So let's leave this jealous talk alone for now, okay? We've got Demon Lords to worry about."

"No!" Kaya cried, her eyes filling with tears. "Hanekuro please, listen to me. Ever since this guy came to us saying he's Ryou you've been completely different. I know you Hanekuro, you're not easily fooled. So please stop feeling so guilty about what happened to Ryou and just think! How do we even know this is Ryou!?"

Hanekuro was silent, torn between his little brother and desperate friend. "But he's my little brother. I know he is. Kaya he has to be!" he yelled back as he stepped towards her angrily. He turned back to Ryou and looked at him pleadingly. "This is Ryou. He has to be Ryou! Please tell her!"

Ryou smiled. "I'm Ryou, plain and simple." He said.

"See?" Hanekuro said, a panicked smile on his face. "He's Ryou. He just said he was."

"What if he's lying?" Kaya asked.

"Shut up!" Hanekuro roared. "He's not. He's not lying!"

"Master." Ryudamon said worriedly.

"Man, all of this after a simple little prank." Ryou sighed.

"A prank?" Masurao asked suspiciously. "Hold on a minute, I thought you said that Kaya was making this up!"

"What's going on Ryou?" Strabimon growled.

Ryou's smile faltered. "Oh, I was just kidding. You know, trying to make Kaya feel better. Lighten the situation a bit, you know?"

"Enough Ryou, tell us who you really are." Koinumon growled

"Stop it dog breath, he is Ryou." Hanekuro shot back. "Right?" he asked pleadingly.

Ryou turned away from the group and walked away a few steps. He seemed to be in deep thought, but didn't say anything. Dorumon walked over and leaned against Ryou. The two of them both let out a heavy sigh before turning back to the group. "It was a lot of fun." Ryou said happily.

"What was?" Strabimon asked warily.

"What was fun? Screwing with you people of course!" Ryou yelled happily. He began laughing maniacally, the noise echoing through the hallway.

"Ryou what are you talking about?" Hanekuro asked worriedly.

Ryou stopped laughing and glared at Hanekuro. "That was probably the worst part of my game to be honest. Ryou," he spat. "What a stupid name. I hated being known as your little brother. Why can't anybody see me for what I am?"

"And just what exactly are you?" Ryudamon asked angrily.

"I am," Ryou said quietly. His featured began changing. His white hair became pitch black. His emerald green eyes became a glowing blood red. His pale skin grew paler, his face taking on a haunted look. He smiled at Hanekuro, amused at the boy's look of utter shock. "I am Dex." He answered calmly.

"R-Ryou." Hanekuro muttered. "What happened to you?"

Dex rolled his eyes. "Oh God, you really are stupid! I'm not Ryou, I never was! I only took his form to get in with your group! Are you really so pathetic that you'd think I was Ryou? I mean really, we're you that desperate? Oh I'm Ryou, I was kidnapped when I was five and then lived here in the digital world for ten years. What a load of crap!"

"Stop it, stop it!" Hanekuro cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Stop it, stop it!" Dex mimicked. "Fine then, I'll tell you the truth. You're little brother Ryou, is dead!"

"No!" Hanekuro cried.

"Yes!" Dex barked. "How pathetic you are. It was so easy to come in and trick you. It was so easy to come in and befriend you. Guilt is such a wonderful emotion, isn't it? It makes manipulating people that much easier!"

Dex turned to his Dorumon who turned to him. Dorumon walked over and sniffed Dex's outstretched hand. Dex smiled as he lifted his partner up by the scruff of his neck, a dark energy surrounding him. Dorumon smiled and gasped as the dark energy surrounded him, completely dissolving his form which then sank into Dex's body. "So then who goes first?" Dex chuckled. "Come on, I know you guys are just dyeing to try to rip my throat out. I just pulled a Szayel Aporro move for goodness sake, I know you guys are dyeing to kick my ass."

"Digisoul Charge!" Masurao and Kaya cried as they evolved their digimon.

"Reaving Sphere!" Inudramon roared as she fired a large sphere of glowing energy at Dex. Dex laughed as he caught the ball of light and then turned he grinned at Lobomon who had moved behind him for a stealthy attack and crashed it into the wolf warrior. The energy exploded, forcing him back down the hallway.

"My, that was easy." Dex laughed.

"He grabbed Inudramon's attack like it was just a big rubber ball and threw it at Lobomon. How the hell did he do that when he's just a human?" Masurao asked. Dex suddenly appeared in front of him, his icy blue eyes glaring at Masurao's brown ones. Masurao gasped as Dex lifted him up with a single hand gripped tightly around his neck.

"I'm no human." He said as he threw the boy into his partner who had been struggling to get up. He turned to Inudramon and smiled warmly. "And I'm no digimon either. Don't you dare lump me in with your two pathetic species."

Kaya ran over to Hanekuro who was curled up into a ball. He held his head in his hands, a look of pure terror on his face as he watched Dex throw Inudramon around. "Hanekuro we need your help." Kaya said as she shook her friend. "Hanekuro please, enough with the Hero Blue Screen of Death. Inudramon and Lobomon can't take whatever this thing is on their own!"

"Oh she's right Kuro-jun." Dex chuckled, his voice sounding just as it had when he was still masquerading as Ryou. "These cute little doggies just don't have it in them." Dex walked towards the two of them, making Hanekuro panic. He pulled away from Kaya and tried to run away but stumbled and fell back down. He turned around to find Dex standing over him, grinning widely with a mouth full of sharp teeth. "We're all mad here." He chuckled.

Hanekuro let out a desperate cry as he scrambled away from his tormentor. Ryudamon lunged at Dex, intent on piercing his heart with his katana. Dex merely laughed as he caught the fur covered dragon samurai. He grabbed his katana and threw it away with ease before grabbing Ryudamon's throat and squeezing it. Ryudamon struggled against Dex, but his grip was like an iron vice. "Don't worry, I won't kill you yet." Dex chuckled as he rubbed his face on Ryudamon's soft neck. "I'll make you suffer a while."

Dex threw the dragon with incredible strength into the wall next to Hanekuro. Ryudamon hit the wall, his armor and bones cracking on impact. "I'll make sure you two suffer for a while first." Dex laughed as he walked towards Hanekuro who was cradling the barely conscious Ryudamon. Dex's features changed again. His eyes became a calm emerald and his hair became a snow white that fell neatly on his head.

"I'll do everything to you two before you die." He chuckled as he knelt down in front of Hanekuro who was now completely pressed against the wall. "And I do mean, _everything_." He chuckled with a terrifying smile. Hanekuro pulled away even more, his head pushing against the wall behind him so much it hurt. "Or better yet, maybe Kaya and I should have some fun first, just to show you all of the stuff I'll do to you." Dex lifted his hand up and gently felt Hanekuro's face, making the older boy pull away. Dex grinned as his hand slowly moved up Hanekuro's head and sharply pulled his hair.

"Look at people when they're talking to you." He chuckled. "It's not nice to scramble away from sheer terror you know."

"Get away from him!"

Dex looked away from Hanekuro in time to see Inudramon 's fangs up close. The wolf sank her teeth into him, making him cry out in pain. Inudramon ran faster than she ever had before, and then stopped suddenly. She used the momentum of her run to throw Dex down the hallway when he landed with a sickening crack. Kaya jumped off of her partner and ran back to Hanekuro and Ryudamon.

"Kaya." He whimpered pathetically.

"It's okay, don't worry." Kaya said as she hugged her friend. "We're going to get help for Ryudamon, I promise. And Dex won't ever hurt any of us."

"I think Dex disagrees." Lobomon said as he and Masurao walked over to the others. Everyone watched as Dex stood back up, one of his ribs poking out of his jacket. He looked down at the bone and began laughing. He bent down on his knees, using them for support as he howled with laughter. Hanekuro hugged Kaya tighter, terrified by the noise.

"I'm laughing so hard my side is splitting!" Dex laughed maniacally. "See!" he cried as he tore his jacket off to reveal his pale body. True to his word, the right side of his body had a large ghoulish cut over it, showing off his broken ribs. Hanekuro pulled away from Kaya and emptied his stomach onto the floor, disgusted by the site of his brother's body in such a mangled state.

"Okay, so who wants to be hurt first?" Dex as ked as he moved his left shoulder, ignoring the hideous mark Inudramon had left. "Masurao, I don't like you or care about you. In fact, you can leave for all I care. Messing with these guys is enough fun."

"We're not leaving them behind!" Masurao yelled angrily.

"Suit yourself." Dex shrugged as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I can't be held responsible for what I do to you." Dex dropped to all fours as his hair turned black and wild again. He growled as his body began shaking and rippling. His skin turned a pitch black as a dark aura surrounded him. He gasped in shock and elation as his body tensed, his back banding down in a horrible way. The ark aura hardened, creating pure white armor over his body. "Corrupt, Equis Muerte." He growled as he stood back up.

His body was covered in pure white armor that ended in sharp claws. His face was covered in a snarling dragon like mask, the only thing visible was his glowing icy blue eyes. Spikes lined his spin as white bat wings sprouted from his shoulder blades. A tail shot out of his waist, the tip ending in a sharp point. The mark on his side was completely covered by his body, as was the rest of his body. He tore his now useless clothes off of him and let out a loud roar that shook the tunnel. "Alright then, who's first!?" he growled.

"Kaya." Hanekuro whined as he pulled closer to his friend.

"Take him out Inudramon!" Kaya cried, masking the fear in her voice with courage for her friend's sake.

"Go get him Lobomon!" Masurao shouted encouragingly.

The two wolves charged for the smaller enemy. Despite his new form he hadn't grown much taller than before, so they still had a height advantage. Inudramon fired a large glowing sphere of energy at Dex, which exploded on contact. Lobomon jumped behind the screen of smoke and rubble created from it and charged in, his glowing blades aimed at Dex's neck.

Lobomon failed to emerge from the smoke, worrying everyone. "Lobomon?" Masurao asked worriedly. "Are you still in there?" A great gust of wind blew through the corridor; knocking the smoke away and throwing the humans back a bit. Masurao gasped when he looked up, terrified at what he saw. Dex was standing the same way he had been before the attack, completely unscathed by the energy or blades. His tail was now positioned diagonally behind him, sticking right through Lobomon's chest. The tail slowly pulled out, Lobomon being pulled along slightly. The tail slithered out like a snake, the back half of it covered in blood.

Lobomon fell forward, seemingly in slow motion. Dex turned on his heel and slammed his tail into the wolf warrior. Lobomon was sent flying down the hallway, crashing into the wall near Masurao. Lobomon instantly devolved into Strabimon, the wound still very much there and still bleeding heavily. "Strabimon." Masurao gasped in horror.

The helmet on Dex's head disappeared, revealing his pale face. His tail wound around him, the tip pointed at his face. He lightly licked the blood from the sharp tip of his tail and smiled. "He acted brave but his heart was full of fear and desperation. I love the taste of hopelessness in the morning." Dex chuckled.

"You're sick!" Kaya shrieked.

Dex frowned as he licked another bit of blood off of his tail. "No I'm not." He said. "I'm just living the way I want to."

"Trash like you shouldn't be alive! Go curl up in a hole and die you scum!" Kaya yelled back.

Dex stopped licking the blood, his eyes wide. "I don't deserve to be alive?" he asked quietly. "Why not!?" he roared, making Kaya flinch back. "Why am I being persecuted for doing what I need to survive again!?" he roared in anger. "You all say I am evil because I kill to eat but is that not the same as your hypocrite species!? Do humans not kill to feed their own hunger!?"

Dex was suddenly in front of Kaya, making her gasp in shock. His tail lifted her face up to look at his own. "But I'm different." He whispered. "I need to eat others to survive. You humans can eat plants to survive; you have no reason to eat your animals beyond enjoying the taste. Tell me then, why?" Kaya tried pulling away from Dex but he grabbed her arm with his claw, cutting it into her arm forming beads of blood. "Why do you persecute me for doing what I must to survive?" he asked quietly as he looked down at Kaya. His tail lightly pushed her head up, forcing her terrified face to look at his calm one.

"I survive by absorbing the anguish and despair from others." Dex whispered as he wrapped his arms around her lovingly. "I wonder what yours tastes like." He whispered as he pressed his lips against hers. Kaya tried pulling back, her face showing how much she despised the creature who was holding her. She pushed away but Dex pulled her closer, his wings covering the two of them. Dex pulled away for a second and licked her neck, making her cringe. "I wonder what Hanekuro's despair will taste like after he hears me sampling your pain to it's fullest." He said quietly.

Hanekuro's eyes widened in shock. This monster wanted to, to, he couldn't even think of such a horrible thing. He stood up, feeling his stomach lurch in terror. "No, I won't let you do that to her." He gasped as he stumbled forward. "I don't care what form you take, or whether you're my brother or not, I'm not going to let you hurt her!" he yelled as he grabbed Dex's wing and pulled it as hard as he could. The thin bone and wing membrane broke as Masurao pulled Dex away from Kaya. Dex pulled his wing out of Hanekuro's hand to reveal his very angry face and Kaya's grateful one.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Dex asked as he knocked Kaway away from him. "You think you're going to stop me just because you're protecting your loved one, or because you're a good guy. Well I've got news for you, you're wrong!" Dex lunged at Hanekuro but was stuck suddenly. He looked back to see Masurao, Inudramon, and Ryudamon holding his tail back.

"You may be strong but you can be easily distracted." Ryudamon chuckled. "You will not harm Master or any of our friends."

Dex glared at the three of them in annoyance and flicked his tail around, sending Inudramon and Masurao away. Ryudamon however, caught himself and flipped around so he landed next to Hanekuro. Dex glared at them, but suddenly smiled. His hair fell across his face, his eyes became a clear emerald, and his hair turned snow white. He smiled innocently at Hanekuro, who's expression was unreadable.

"Ni-chan, come on." He said quietly. "I just wanted to have fun with Kaya." He slinked forward and grabbed Hanekuro's hand. "And then maybe you can I can have some fun."

CRACK!

Hanekuro's fist shot out and punched Dex backwards, his disguise instantly shattered. He tripped over his own tail and landed against the wall. Hanekuro ignored his broken hand and glared at Dex. "You bastard!" he roared, steam practically shooting out of his ears. "You trick me with my brother's face, you try to hurt my friends, you try to rape Kaya, and then you try to control me! You are not brother of mine." Hanekuro growled as his body was covered in his digisould. His crest glowed, dyeing the digisoul as a light blue. "I'm not sure who you're so scared of but I do know one thing." He said as he glared down at Dex. "Ryou is alive somewhere, and I won't let trash like you get in my way of finding him!"

"You idiot, you've fooled yourself into believing those delusions!?" Dex roared.

"No, you've fooled yourself into thinking you're worth something." Hanekuro replied coldly. "Digisoul, Full Charge!" Hanekuro's digivice changed like the ones before his. It became a rectangle in sharp, three light blue buttons position on the bottom around a white circle. The rest of it became a dark blue with the Crest of Friendship glowing between the buttons and the screen.

"Ryudamon shinka," Ryudamon cried as his body was covered in dark blue light. He changed into an even large dragon with golden scales. His armor grew as well, covering his long body. His helmet formed itself as a shogun's war helmet and he held two orbs in his claws, one green and one orange. "HishaRyumon!" he howled, his form filling the corridor as he stretched out behind Hanekuro.

"You idiots think you can defeat me!?" Dex roared as his helmet reformed over his face. "Forget the torture, I'll crush you right here and now!" He charged at Hanekuro, his claws glowing black. Hanekuro stood motionless, but HishaRyumon didn't.

"Seiryuu Jin!" he roared as his tail formed as a large blade the swiped Dex through the wall behind him. The walls and ceiling collapsed around them, but HishyaRyumon gathered everyone and surrounded them with his armored body. Hanekuro held Kaya as they waited for the rumbling to stop. When everything was quiet HishyaRyumon uncoiled and stretched out into the sky.

"I'll kill you!" Dex roared as he broke out from under the rubble, his wings tattered, his armor broken, and his tail limp. He charged at HishyaRyumon, his eyes glowing with a savage anger. HishyaRyumon shot towards him and surrounded him with his body. "Trying to trap my huh? Well too bad!" Dex roared as his wings stretched out despite their condition. He laughed as he flew up into the air and put his claws in front of him. "I'll wipe you all out of existence! I will not be stopped by something like you!"

"Juuou Guruma." HishyaRyumon whispered as his body glowed. Dex cackled excitedly as his body was surrounded by a dark energy. He saw his shadow fall over the group and smiled excitedly. "Wait, why is the sun so bright?" he asked as he looked behind him. He roared in surprise as he was shot down into the ground by a beam of light that landed within HishyaRyumon's body. Dex roared in pain as the light covered his body, searing his skin with intense heat.

HishyaRyumon uncoiled, the beam of light stopping. Everyone looked at the burnt body of Dex, back in his human form. He looked up at Hanekuro and crawled towards him. "Please Ni-chan." He whimpered.

"You're not my brother." Hanekuro said decisively. "You're a nobody


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 30: Sakura Blossoms, Protect Your Friends Jureimon!

Dorugamon rushed down the hallways as quickly as his legs could carry him. He made a sharp turn, almost collided with a wall, and continued running. "How do we even know this is the way to the throne room?" he asked.

"It's the only way for us to go and it is better than sitting around, doing nothing." Haseo answered from his spot on Dorugamon's back. Haseo began to say something else, but stopped himself.

"And because Daemon went this way as well?" Dorugamon asked, knowing this was what his brother had been about to say.

"Exactly." Haseo replied quietly.

Dorugamon sighed as he rushed down the newest hallway. "Otouto, it's been years since that happened. For the last time it's not your fault." Haseo didn't reply, worrying Dorugamon. "Otouto?" he asked, slowing down to a stop.

"Yes it is Ryu-nisan." Haseo whispered, his voice almost inaudible because of his quiet voice and thick collar. "It is my fault all of those digimon died. And it is my fault you turned into that, that _thing_." Dorugamon turned his neck back and looked up at Haseo, his younger brother clearly troubled by his memories.

"Otouto." He whispered, trying to think of something to say to help his brother. "That's not true. Daemon tricked you. He tricked both of us. He used us, it's what he does."

Haseo shook his head vigorously, a small sob heard from under his collar. "That is not true." He whispered, his voice almost breaking from trying to hold back tears. "It is all my fault that all of that happened. If I could take any of it back I would, but I can't and I am forced to live with the burden of my actions."

Dorugamon made a quick move, throwing Haseo off of his back. Haseo's tearful eyes looked up at the dragon in shock, but Dorugamon wasn't finished. He bent of Haseo, glaring at him furiously. "Stop it Otouto." He growled angrily. "Please, just stop all of this pathetic self pity. He used us; we didn't know what we were doing. Well, we did but he made us not care. It's what he does Otouto, you know that. You've heard a lot of the Boss's stories about him and you know the sort of stuff he does. Please, just stop blaming yourself and think! If anything it's my fault. I'm the older brother, I should have protected you!"

The two were silent as tears slowly fell down Dorugamon's face as well. The two brothers stared at each other, both of them suddenly feeling guilty about what they had done. Haseo balled his hands into fists, trying to keep himself focused and not completely break down. Dorugamon straightened up and helped Haseo stand. The two brothers looked at each other wordlessly, both of them trying to mentally prepare themselves for facing their worst enemy, their old friend.

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Daemon walked down the hallway, humming a tune to himself. A Flarizamon, a dinosaur-like digimon made of burning flames, poked his head out of a door and gasped when he saw Daemon. Daemon waved cheerfully at Flarizamon, before pointing at him and sending a thin red beam through him, destroying him instantly.

There was no digitama left behind.

"Oh my, perhaps I should have asked for directions before doing that." Daemon quietly said to himself. "Oh well, he probably wouldn't have told me without the proper amount of torture and I'm not in the mood for torturing small fries right now." Daemon shrugged and continued walking down the corridor.

"I wonder how my pets are doing." He said quietly. "That boy and bear really are the best assistants I've ever had. They might even be better than Haseo and Dorumon would have been. Those four are so interesting, but for the sake of foreshadowing I'll mysteriously hint about what happened to Tommy's friends. That stupid Takuya and his Flamemon. They might have been strong enough to beat Lucemon when they had the other spirits with them, but even EmperorGreymon is no match for one of us Demon Lords."

Daemon stopped and shuddered violently. "Oh hell." He whispered. "If Lilithmon did _that _to that little Coronamon to get him one our side I wonder what she did to those two." Daemon stopped and thought about, and shuddered again. "Lucky bastards, why won't Lilithmon ever do some of that stuff with me?! For the Demon Lord of Lust she sure isn't too open with her colleagues. Oh look the throne room."

Daemon looked up at the large doors and smiled under his cloth hood. He knocked on the door gently, waited a few seconds, and then blew the large stone door off of it's hinges. "Who dares to disturb my throne room!?" PileVolcanomon roared from within.

"Show yourself or else!" Volcdramon cried.

Daemon flapped his wings, blowing the large cloud of dirt and debris away from him. He stared at the two shocked digimon, although they couldn't see it. "Guess who?" he said menacingly.

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Celena led the group as they ran down the hallway. Lunamon floated next to her, occasionally looking back worriedly. "Stop doing that, I keep thinking the Demon Lords are right behind me." Rai said anxiously.

"Nope, the Demon Lords went another way." Lockheed said.

"When?" Jasper asked, panting from his ten year old body being forced to run so much

"Just a little bit ago. They all went down somewhere else, I can tell because there scent is fading. But something else is coming this way now. It's big and evil but I think," Lockheed stopped running and put his nose to the air. Everyone else waited for the blue dragon. "Yuppers, it is familiar!" Lockheed cried suddenly.

"Is it one of the bad tamers?" Mushroomon asked.

"No, I'm not sure where I've smelled this scent before." Lockheed answered. "Sorry, but I don't know who it is. It's not like it's someone I know, more like it's just close to someone I know." He frowned and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Is it wise for us to be standing here while whatever it is, is coming down the hall to kill us?" Sakura asked.

"Good point, let's move guys!" Celena ordered. The group set off again but Jasper went slower than before. The group cried in shock as a fireball flew down the hallway and exploded near them. Jasper tripped and fell, narrowly avoiding another shot. "What the hell is shooting at us!?" Celena cried.

"I don't know but we need to help Jasper." Sakura answered. "Digisoul Charge!"

Mushroomon digivolved to Woodmon and before Jasper could stand on his own he picked the boy and swung him over his shoulder. He charged forward with surprising speed, picking Lockheed up as he ran by. The others were shocked to see Woodmon moving so quickly. "Wow," Sakura said in awe, "Woodmon can really move when he's protecting someone."

"Again, should we really be standing here?" Hawkmon asked.

"Right, after that tree." Rai said as the group continued fleeing. Fireballs would fly at them occasionally but luckily whoever was shooting them had horrible aim. However, the fireballs exploded when they hit the walls and caused dirt and rocks to fly everywhere. The debris was more dangerous that the attacks themselves.

It was inevitable though. They were running from one of the Demon Lord's servants and in the end they were bound to have to fight whatever was attacking them. One more fireball crashed near Sakura, throwing her down to the ground. Woodmon rushed over and helped her up, but their pause was long enough for the hulking monster to catch up to them.

"Ni-chan!" Lunamon shrieked when she saw her brother. How she could tell was beyond the rest of the group. The monster in front of them didn't look a thing like Coronamon did.

The monster in front of them was very big. It had a massive mane of wild and tangled dark blue hair. It rested on all fours, although guessing by it's body shape it could probably stand on it's hind legs if it wanted to. It had the overall shape of a line, covered in black fur. It had several metal attachments and armor, some pieces of which were covered in blue flames. Drool ran down his snarling face, and his red eyes glowed with a wild desire to tear into the group.

"Lunamon, what happened to your brother?" Sakura asked warily.

"It looks like he dark digivolved again. Only this time a lot bigger." Rai answered for her.

"Can we beat that thing?" Woodmon asked fearfully.

"I don't think so." Jasper answered as he pulled closer to the large tree and Lockheed. "He looks really mad about something." He said fearfully.

"I don't think he's mad at something, I get the feeling he's mad at us." Celena said, preparing herself for when the monster attacked.

The beast growled loudly, making the team cringe. Lunamon began sobbing lightly as she stared at her brother. "Coronamon what happened to you?" she sobbed quietly.

"It doesn't matter; we just have to beat this thing." Rai answered. "If we take him out then he'll be purified like last time, right?"

"R-Right." Celena stuttered, failing to hide all of her fear. The four of them took out their digivices.

"Digisoul Charge!" the group cried all but Sakura since Mushroomon had already evolved.

"Let's get him!" Shurimon cried confidently. He and Coredreamon charged at Flaremon, he roared his challenge back at them. Shurimon jumped into the air and cried "Kusanagi!" He whipped his green spring-like arms forward, unleashing his two shuriken at the lion. The lion only had to roar to unleash a strong enough energy to knock the stars out of the way.

"Blue Flare Breath!" Lockheed roared as he spewed out a jet of blue fire. Flaremon smiled as the flames washed over him, igniting his own fires even more. His claw shot out and knocked the dragon back down the hallway.

"Something tells me you're not the best choice for this battle." Sakura said, trying not to insult Lockheed. Lockheed only grunted in return.

"Branch Drain!" Woodmon cried as his smaller arms launched forward and wrapped around the lion. To everyone's surprise the lion became tangled within the branches, immobilizing him completely.

"Autumn Blow-Down!" Shurimon cried as he spun around and turned into a tornado of leaves and shuriken. The wind rushed towards Flaremon, and passed through him. The blades and leaves cut into him, making him roar in anger and pain. Shurimon rematerialized on the other side of him, a smirk hidden by the white cloth covering his face.

"Oh yeah, nice job Shurimon!" Rai congratulated.

"Oh no, that only mad him angrier!" Woodmon cried as Flaremon began pulling on the branches tangling him up. Fire engulfed his body, burning Woodmon's limbs. Woodmon cried out in pain and tried pulling back, knocking Jasper off of him. He tried escaping his own trap, but Flaremon let out a malicious laugh as he pulled the branched closer, pulling Woodmon along.

"Lekismon I know he's your brother but we have to do something!" Celena cried. Her hand was covered in her glowing pink digisoul again, but this time stronger. "Digisoul, Full Charge!"

"Lekismon shinka, Crescemon!" The taller rabbit-like warrior appeared in a bright light. She readied her blades, but she clearly wasn't completely behind her attack. "Nuova Luna!" she cried reluctantly as she began slashing the air with her crescent blades. The air froze and became glowing crescents that flew towards her demented brother. The blades struck the branches, freeing them and causing Woodmon more pain.

"That isn't helping!" Woodmon howled in pain. Flaremon kicked his flames up even hotter and Crescemon retaliated by sending more waves of ice. Woodmon was stuck in a demented game of tug-o-war. The branches tied around Flaremon were being burned to ashes while the branches closer to him were being frozen rock solid.

"You're only hurting him even more!" Sakura cried.

"Crescemon!" Celena cried frantically.

"I can't hit Ni-chan!" she answered worriedly.

"This is kind of funny if you think about." Rai chuckled.

"Yuppers, but kind of sad too." Coredramon agreed.

"Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?" Shurimon mused to himself.

"Pins and needles, pins and needles, oh oh oh pins and needles!" Woodmon howled in both comedic and depressing pain. His branches finally broke apart altogether, unleashing the flaming lion. He roared triumphantly while Woodmon looked down at the two remaining stubs of his smaller arms, one stub was cold and frozen while the other was charred and burnt.

"Oops." Crescemon said apologetically.

"My arms, I'm disfigured!" Woodmon cried in anguish. "I'm hideous, nobody look at me!"

Flaremon took this chance to send a massive fireball at the group, knocking them all away. Crescemon stood up, glaring at he brother. "Please stop this Flaremon, we're siblings!" Flaremon seemed reluctant for a moment but he shook his head, drool flying everywhere. He glared at his sibling, ready to strike her down.

"This is horrible." Sakura gasped as Flaremon created a fireball and knocked Crescemon away. "Woodmon we have to help them!" Sakura cried. Woodmon ignored her as he whined over his broken limbs. "Woodmon please, we haven't even done anything yet!"

Woodmon stoped whining and turned his blue eyes to Sakura. "What do you mean?" he whined.

"You and I haven't done anything worth while yet!" Sakura cried. "We haven't taken down any evil digimon, we were hardly any help when our group was fighting together, and the only reason you can digivolve is because you could before I met you! As much as I hate the pun, we're more useless then Sakura before the Shippuden time skip!"

"Wow, that was a bad pun." Woodmon said quietly, unsure of what else to say. His blue eyes glared suddenly as he nodded. "But you're right, we've hardly done anything at all! I'll have plenty of time to lament over by lost limbs later, for now we have to do something! We'll prove that we're great partners just like everyone else."

"Uh, guys?" Jasper said weakly.

"Yeah Jas?" Sakura asked.

"Uhm, as cool as that character development speech was we kind of need help." Jasper answered weakly. Shurimon and Corderamon had been taken down by Flaremon and had dedigivolved. Crscemon was facing off against her brother but couldn't bring herself to do anything but dodge and use weak attacks. Woodmon and Sakura looked at each other and nodded.

Sakura was covered in her digisoul, which her crest died a deep red. Her digivice changed like the others had before. The majority of it was bright red, with the three buttons being pink. The crest of love glowed a gentle crimson under the screen of the digivice. Sakura's digisoul concentrated to her hand. "Digisoul, Full Charge!"

"Woodmon shinka," Woodmon was covered in a bright green light. The group gasped when he revealed himself, even Flaremon stopped his savage attack. What had once been a living log was now a full grown tree. He had several strong tentacle like roots and two very strong branches that ended in claws. Two holes on his face glowed with small lights that were his eyes. His previously torn up head was replaced by a large tree head covered in leaves and blooming cherry buds. "Jureimon!" he cried as he let Sakura onto one of his branches.

"Let's see if you can burn through these!" he cried as several of his roots surged toward Flaremon, binding him once again. Flaremon roared as he set himself on fire again in an attempt to burn away Jureimon's branches but the tree only laughed. "My bark is even thicker than ever. And if you think that's bad, have some of my bite! Senbonzakura!" he cried. His tree head began shaking violently as the cherry buds bloomed. Within the buds were several glowing balls of light that pelted Flaremon with large explosions as they flew at him in waves.

Flaremon gasped in pain as the pink smoke cleared. He let out a weak roar at Jureimon who only glared back. "I'm not sure what happened to you Coronamon but I can tell you're in a lot of pain. I'm sorry, but it's my job to protect the people I love and right now you're the biggest threat there is. I'm sorry, but good bye. Great Forest!" he cried as his arms and roots shot into the ground. Seconds later Flaremon was impaled by a storm of sharp roots that flew out of the ground.

"Ni-chan!" Crscemon cried.

The trees retreated immediately, leaving Flaremon behind. He fell down, his head bowed quietly. He didn't growl or stir at all. He slowly looked up at Jureimon and smiled. "Thank you." He whispered as the flames began engulfing his body. The group watched in a solemn quiet as Flaremon was reduced to a pile of ashes.

"Ni-chan." Lunamon whispered, tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but it had to be done." Mushroomon apologized.

"I know." Lunamon cried lightly. "I'm just glad he's not in whatever pain he was in." Lunamon flew back and hugged her partner tightly. Celena hugged her in return, letting the small rabbit cry on her shoulder.

"It's okay Lunamon." Celena comforted as she smiled at the ashes. The ashes slowly fell away, revealing a red digitama under them. "We'll see your brother again someday."

"I've got it!" Hawkmon cried, making everyone jump. "Adam isn't here!" The group was silent as they looked around; realizing Adam and Arcadimon were nowhere to be seen. Everyone slowly turned to Celena, who sweatdropped when they all stared at her.

"I can't believe I lost my brother." She sighed quietly.

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"Adam we're lost." Arcadimon said matter-of-factly.

"I know that!" the ten year old answered angrily. "I can't believe it too. I thought Celena was right in front of us, but then she just disappeared. Oh man, what are we going to do!?" Adam cried loudly, his voicing echoing down the hallway.

"Hey!"

Adam and Arcadimon looked behind them to see the source of the voice. They frowned when they saw the new arrival and his digimon partner.

"Wow." They squeaked.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 35: The Wrath

Haseo stopped when he and Dorugamon reached the large stone doors that lead to the throne room. They were partially open, but it was too dark inside to see anything. Haseo reached for the handle, but paused suddenly. His hand began shaking violently when he realized that Daemon was probably behind this door.

"Otouto." Dorugamon said worriedly. He stepped towards his brother and put a claw on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I promise I won't let Daemon hurt you."

Haseo took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. It didn't work very well, but it was better than nothing. He gripped the door handle and slowly pulled the large doors open with Dorugamon's help. Light flooded into the dark throne room, revealing the horrible state it as in.

Rubble was everywhere, completely covering the ground. Burn marks and small craters were littered the area, showing signs of a terrible fight. Haseo and Dorugamon walked further into the dark throne room, lit only by the light of open doors and dull torchlight. The throne had been toppled over and destroyed. Standing in the center of the room was Daemon, a digitama covered in a fireball design resting next to him. His claw was clenched around Meramon's neck, making Haseo gasp.

Daemon looked back with a bored expression in his eyes. "Oh my, it seems it's Haseo and Dorugamon are here." He said calmly, dropping Meramon to the ground. "It's been quite a while since we've seen each other in person hasn't it?" he asked casually, as if he were talking to two old friends.

"Is that digitama," Haseo stuttered.

"Yes, it is what is left of PileVolcanomon." Daemon admitted simply. "He put up quite a fight; I had to actually use some of my power against him. But in the end he crumpled, just like the rest of the world will."

"You bastard." Meramon coughed.

"Oh shut up." Daemon said in annoyance. He lifted his leg and easily kicked the large flaming man away from him. Haseo and Dorugamon both stared in shock as the simple kick sent their friend flying into a wall where he hit with a bone breaking force. Daemon slowly looked back at the two brothers and smiled behind his cloth mask. "Now where were we?" he asked calmly as he slowly stepped forward. "Oh yes, I remember now. You were just about to break down and start crying."

"No," Haseo whispered as he glared at Daemon "I-I will not let you do a-any more harm." He said, trying to keep his voice steady. Daemon laughed loudly, the horrible noise bouncing off of the walls.

"My my Haseo, when did you grow a back bone? The last time we met in person all I had to do was look at you and you broke down into a pile of pathetic sniveling guilt and pain." Daemon chuckled again, sending a chill through Haseo's spine. "I'll admit I'm curious thought." Daemon said.

"Curious about what?" Dorugamon snapped angrily.

"Simple, I'm curious about why Haseo is still alive of course." Daemon answered with a shrug. "You caused so much pain and anguish for everyone. I thought someone would try to get some revenge on you or something. Of course you are the Boss's son so they were probably too scared to touch you."

"Th-that was n-not my f-fault." Haseo stuttered, trying desperately not to break down. "Y-You made me do th-that."

Daemon laughed again, making Haseo cringe towards his brother. "I made you?" Daemon asked. "Oh come now, I never made you. I simply gave you the wonderful idea of getting revenge. It was all you Haseo, all you." Daemon paused for a moment, thinking something over. "Such hidden anger, such hidden wrath! You're a very bad boy Haseo."

"Shut your mouth you trash!" Dorugamon roared as he fired a cannonball at Daemon. Daemon didn't bother blocking it; he didn't need to. The ball hit him square in the chest but it did nothing to him. Daemon looked down at it and then back up Dorugamon.

"Ow, that hurt." He said sarcastically. He laughed again as Dorugamon's face looked hopeless. "Well then, shall we have a flashback to make you realize those wonderful memories?" Daemon chuckled. Haseo pulled closer to Dorugamon, his body shaking in fear. "Of course, I'm not a very good story teller. How about I do this instead?"

Daemon's body was covered in a black aura that slowly leaked over the room. The aura spread everywhere, blocking out the lights. It covered the walls, extinguished the torches, and blocked the doors. Haseo felt the darkness cover him, cutting him off from his brother. "No," he cried as tears freely ran down his face. "No!"

_Face my "True Despair"_

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"No!"

Haseo shot up suddenly, spooking his friends around him. His forehead was covered in cold sweat as he looked around frantically. He was sitting in the main room of the Boss's mansion, Dorumon curled next to him on the sofa. ToyAgumon sat next to him and Kotemon in an armchair across from him.

"Is something wrong Haseo?" Kotemon asked worriedly.

Haseo wiped the sweat from his face, and tried calming down his racing heart. "I-I don't know." He answered unsurely. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep Otouto." Dorumon answered. "You looked really tired so I curled up and let you use me as a pillow."

"I fell asleep?" Haseo asked in confusion. Haseo looked down in confusion, trying to remember what was going on. He looked down at his small body and felt out of place suddenly. He looked around, noticing the room seemed bigger than before he had fallen asleep.

"Are you okay Otouto?" Dorumon asked worriedly.

"I don't know. Something feels wrong." Haseo answered quietly. "Where's the Boss?" he asked.

"He's still out, remember? He said he'd be gone the whole week." Kotemon answered.

"Yeah, something about having business with his friend Hermes." ToyAgumon agreed.

"Oh yeah." Haseo said, slowly remembering what was going on. He looked over at the clock and frowned. "I'm going to go out for a walk. Need to clear my head." He said as he hopped off the sofa.

"Be careful Otouto." Dorumon said as he watched his younger brother walk out of the room.

"I know." Haseo said as he opened the door, the knob large in his small hands. He walked down a few halls and then into the foyer. He opened the large doors and walked out into the garden. "There's something I need to do." He muttered. "I'm supposed to meet somebody I think." He walked down the courtyard and up to the gate, which swung open without a sound.

Haseo walked away from the mansion and into the forest. His own legs guided him to wherever he was going to. He past through several trees and bushes, the whole forest covered in a dull red glow from the moon. He walked for a while, taking a secret path way only he knew. He arrived in a small clearing with a tree stump in the middle. He smiled when he saw his friend waiting on the stump, and ran up to hug him.

"Oh my," his friend said in mild surprise when he felt Haseo hug him from behind. "Where have you been, I thought you wanted to play."

"I'm sorry but I fell asleep." Haseo answered as he looked up at his friend apologetically.

"It's alright, I'm glad you're here now." Daemon said as he rested a claw on Haseo's small head.

"I'm glad I'm here. I missed you." Haseo agreed.

"And I missed you." Daemon answered kindly. "Now what do you want to talk about today?"

"I don't know." Haseo answered as he crawled onto Daemon's lap. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'm not sure." Daemon answered. "Normally I'm just here to help you feel better about what's going on and to hang out with you." Haseo's small faltered a bit and he looked away from Daemon. "Is something wrong?" he asked quietly.

"I guess so." Haseo answered. "I'm just tired of feeling like this." Daemon was silent, waiting for Haseo to continue. "I'm so confused." Haseo sighed. "Why am I the only human around here?" he asked. "Where did I live before the Boss found me? Why am I so weak compared to everyone else?"

"You're not weak." Daemon said kindly.

"Yes I am. I can never beat Kotemon in a sparring match, ToyAgumon is way smarter than I am, Fanbeemon can fly and I can't even jump that high, and Ryu-nisan can do tons of stuff." Haseo replied. He curled up on Daemon's lap and sighed. "Why am I so useless?" he asked.

"Well you're only human." Daemon answered.

"But I don't want to be human!" Haseo yelled angrily. "I want to be a digimon."

"You can't be a digimon." Daemon chuckled. "We can't change who we are silly."

"I don't care!" Haseo snapped bitterly. "If I were a digimon then I would be faster, and smarter, and stronger, and just plain better! And then maybe," Haseo paused for a moment, suddenly feeling depressed. "Maybe we'd actually be a family then."

"What do you mean by that?" Daemon asked curiously.

"I always feel so alone. The Boss might look human but it's obvious he's not. And Ryu-nisan doesn't really look like anything except for what he is. They're digimon, I'm human, and it feels like we're not a family." Haseo answered angrily. "It's been three years since the Boss found me and said that I'd be his son. But it doesn't feel like that."

"You must be so sad." Daemon said quietly. "You want to surpass everyone around you and yet you fall behind all the time. You wish you had the love of those around you, but still you feel left out. You just want to belong, but instead you're an outcast even when you're friends are right by you. I understand how that feels."

"Do you?" Haseo asked looking up at daemon.

"Oh yes, there's a reason I wear this you know." Daemon answered, motioning towards the wrapping on his face.

"I wish there was a way we could both be happy." Haseo muttered as he curled up against Daemon.

"Maybe there is." Daemon whispered. Haseo looked up at him in confusion and Daemon smiled back. "The Boss might have something that will get us what we want." Daemon elaborated. "Why don't you go get it for me?"

"I can't steal from the Boss!" Haseo cried. "He's my dad!"

"Why not?" Daemon asked a she set Haseo in front of him. "If he has something like this, shouldn't you get to use it? If you did then you'd be a real family. You'd be a digimon, and he knows that is what you want most. And yet, he keeps this treasure locked away, gathering dust somewhere. Aren't you angry?"

Haseo frowned, Daemon's words flooding his mind. He gritted his teeth as his anger soared. "The Boss has all of this power so why won't he make me a digimon!? He's done all sorts of weird stuff and he says he can break reality! So doesn't that mean I could me a digimon if he made me one!?"

"It certainly does." Daemon answered calmly. "I bet you're feeling very angry now, eh?"

Haseo ignored Damon as he jumped onto the ground and stormed in a random direction. "Is it because the Boss doesn't like me?" he asked fearfully. "He knows how much I wish I was a digimon. Doesn't he care at all!?"

"Well then it doesn't sound like he does care." Daemon answered as he walked forward and knelt down in front of Haseo. "Now listen to me." He whispered. "You go find this device, and bring it back to me." Daemon handed Haseo a piece of paper which he glared at angrily. "This will let us all have what we want. You get to be a digimon, you get to know the truth about why you're with the Boss, and I get what I want. Sound good?"

Haseo nodded, his chest practically bursting from his rapid heart beat. He felt an uncontrollable rage coursing through his body as he stormed back towards the mansion. He broke several bush and tree branches that were in his way as he went, happy to lash out at something. He walked through the gets and into the mansion, ignoring the greeting FanBeemon gave him.

"Hey! Haseo I said hi!" Fanbeemon cried as he flew over and tapped Haseo's shoulder. Haseo turned quickly and smacked the large bee away from him.

"Just leave me alone!" Haseo roared.

FanBeemon watched in horror and confusion as Haseo stormed down the hallway angrily. FanBeemon looked around in confusion, hoping someone else was there to verify that he was not hallucinating. "Did Haseo just yell at me?" he wondered aloud. "And why were his eyes red?"

Haseo stormed down the hallways of the large mansion, guided by the anger that was coursing through him. He placed a hand over his chest, trying to breathe normally. The anger, the unbearable wrath coursing through his body was almost unbearable. His breathing became heavy as he stormed through the halls, tears coursing down his face.

He threw a door open, glaring at the lab that was inside.

After an hour of searching Haseo left the room. He cradled the large red orb in his arms, feeling comforted by the dull red glow. His heart still pounded with rage as he left the mansion again, ignoring anyone who called out to him. Most of his anger had bee replaced by sadness now, and a hollow feeling in his heart.

"Hey Otouto, where are you going?" Dorumon cried over to him. "I haven't seen you all day, where have you been? If something happens to you then the Boss is going to kill Argomon."

"I was just getting something for my friend is all." Haseo answered quietly, trying not to snap at his brother.

"Oh, this mysterious friend of yours? Can I go meet him please?" Dorumon asked. "Come on, you've been sneaking out to see this whoever it is all the time lately. Can I please come?"

"I guess so." Haseo answered, not looking at Dorumon. Haseo silently lead Dorumon through the woods and down the secret trail. Dorumon quickly became impatient with the long, twisting area they were traveling through.

"How much farther?" he whined.

"We're here." Haseo answered as he pulled part of a bush to the side and walked past it.

"Hello." Daemon said as he appeared from the darkness. "Oh my, is this your brother?"

"Hi, I'm Dorumon!" the dragon greeted cheerfully.

"Yep." Haseo answered quickly as he walked towards Daemon. He quickly handed Daemon the sphere, relieved to have his job over with. When he let go of the sphere and stepped away his anger faded instantly, making him feel light headed. A sense of foreboding filled his body as he stared at Daemon who looked down at the orb covetously. "Daemon what is that?" he asked, suddenly feeling guilty about stealing from the Boss. Everything suddenly seemed wrong with this situation; his heart began pounding in worry and guilt.

"It's a way for me to get into the Boss's home." Daemon answered as he raised the sphere. He laughed maniacally as his wings spread out. "During our last encounter the Boss stole some of my powers and sealed it within this orb. But now when I destroy this I will be whole again and I'll be able to extract my sweet, lovely revenge on the Boss and his workers!"

"Daemon what's going on? What do you mean?" Haseo asked worriedly.

Daemon let out a malicious laughter that rang through the air. "You idiot, I tricked you! I was never your friend; I only wanted to use you. The Boss has a barrier around his part of the Dark Area, it prevents his enemies from coming in! That's why I always insisted on meeting you out here!"

Daemon looked down on the orb an grinned so widely the cloth covering his face was nearly torn in half. "Now, do you want to be a digimon? I just so happen to know somebody who is doing some fun research on making humans into digimon. Something tells me you'd be a perfect test subject!"

Daemon lifted the red orb and destroyed it, covering him in a red aura. He laughed insanely as his cloak was destroyed, revealing his demonic form. His skin was pal purple, his arms long and ending in sharp red claws. His mouth was twisted into a large, demonic grin. His eyes were blood red, his wings twice as long as he was. All in all, he looked like Satan.

"Now I know exactly how I can say hello to the Boss. Just what until he comes home and finds his mansion in rubble, his friends devoured, and his two sons dead!" Daemon flew up into the sky, laughing as he flew towards the mansion. A red barrier appeared in the sky but Daemon easily broke through it with a massive black wave of energy. "Cero Oscuras!" he laughed maniacally but stopped. "What a minute, what the hell kind of reference is that? That chapter won't be out for years! Oh well, time to raise hell."

"Otouto what did you do!?" Dorumon roared angrily as he watched Daemon. Daemon slashed the sky, creating two black portals that revealed Lilithmon and Beelzemon. The two brothers watched in terror as they attacked the mansion from above, creating massive explosions. "What the hell is going on!?" Dorumon roared angrily.

"I don't know!" Haseo answered, his voice cracking as he sobbed. "I was so angry and jealous an Daemon said he'd be my friend and I just, I just, I don't know!"

"What did I miss?" Someone asked. Haseo and Dorumon looked back as a wind blew through the area, sending several leaves fluttering through the sky. He Boss walked towards them, a calm look on his face. He smiled at them but then gasped when he saw the three Demon Lords. "What the hell!?" he roared, his calm face showing anger for once.

"Boss, I'm sorry." Haseo cried, falling to his knees. "I'm so sorry."

The Boss stared down at Haseo and Dorumon and sighed. "Crap, so much for my vacation." He said as he walked past his children. "Stay here or you're grounded for life." He said before flying towards the Demon Lords.

"We have to help the Boss!" Haseo cried panicked, turning to Dorumon.

"What!? But those guys are killing the mansion! We can't beat them!" Dorumon protested.

"But we have to!" Haseo cried. "After what Daemon did to me, we can't let him get away with it!"

Dorumon frowned at his brother and sighed. "Fine then, let's go help." He answered.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The Boss jumped away, narrowly avoiding a blast from Beelzemon's guns. He turned to the biker from hell but didn't have time to attack as Daemon had sent out a burst of flames at him. He flew above the fire, but Lilithmon appeared behind him, stabbing her golden claw through him.

"I only wish the others were here." Lilithmon purred into the Boss's ear. "But Belphemon's still asleep, Lucemon isn't quite awake yet, Leviamon is too big to come here, and Barbamon is off on some treasure hunt."

"That's so sad. I'll be sure to help you all reunite in hell!" the Boss cried as he twisted his body unnaturally. He kissed Lilithmon before grabbing her dress and throwing her into the ground. Daemon caught her in time as Beelzemon opened fire on the Boss. Boss rolled his eyes before flying away from the shots. "You people really piss me off!" he cried tiredly.

"Boss!" Haseo cried a she and Dorumon came upon the scene. The mansion was in rubble and broken digitama littered the ground. Haseo and Dorumon stared in shock at the horrific sight in front of them.

"I said stay away from here!" the Boss cried angrily as he tried to fly towards his sons and take them somewhere safe. Beelzemon intercepted him and blasted him back into a pile of rubble, grinning as he began filling the Boss's body with bullets. When Beelzemons topped, the Boss didn't move.

"Oh my." Daemon chuckled a she landed behind Haseo and Dorumon. He let Lilithmon to the ground and she kissed his demonic cheek. "It seems the Boss might finally be dead. Good riddance!"

"No! The Boss can't die!" Haseo cried, his eyes glowing with tears.

Daemon laughed maniacally as he stalked towards the two brothers. "I must thank you Haseo. You're anger was so easy to manipulate. You're so jealous of everyone I'm surprised Leviamon didn't want to come and meet you! It was all so perfect, Lucemon couldn't have planned it better."

Daemon appeared in front of Haseo and grabbed him. Dorumon jumped at the Demon Lord but his wing knocked him into a far off pile of rubble. "Look at all of this beauty." Daemon hissed in Haseo ears, using his claws to force the boy's eyes open. "All of this is your fault. Your friends are dead, the Boss is dead, and soon the world will be ours. It will take some time but as long as our other pawns are as compliant as you, then Belphemon and Lucemon will be back in no time."

"No." Haseo whimpered, his tears dampening Daemon's claws.

"Yes!" Daemon roared in his ears, making Haseo cringe. "This is all your fault. You were so easy to trick. Your emotions were easy to twist. You clung to me as your friend, unaware that I was tricking you the whole time! Now we're going to let you live, so that you will live from this point on, knowing the sins you've committed."

"No!" Haseo cried as Daemon dropped him. The boy fell to his knees as tears fell down his face. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" The Demon Lords all laughed as they flew away from Haseo, leaving him to his hopelessness. "I'll make you pay for this!" Haseo roared into the sky, a dark digisoul covering him. "I'll make you burn in hell!" he roared.

Dorumon let out a horrific roar as he burst out of the rubble, taking on the form of DexDourGreymon. Haseo looked at his brother in terror, his anger forgotten. "Ryu-nisan, what happened to you?" he asked.

"Kill." DexDoruGreymon gasped. "Kill everything! Feed, this hunger!" he howled into the sky before flying off in a random direction. An eight-year-old Haseo began to cry as he watched the large dragon fly off. What had happened to his brother? Why was he doing this? He curled up when he heard screaming coming from the direction his brother had flown and began crying even harder. "I want my brother back." He sobbed to himself.

Boss, as everyone called him, stood up and dusted his suit off. He looked around at the wreckage of his mansion. He had never dreamed something like this would happen. How did those three get in? How did those three find the way to his home? It had taken a lot of his energy to fend all three of them off at once, and then Dorumon had gone crazy.

He looked over at the curled up boy and walked over to him. "What did I do?" Haseo asked sadly. "What happened to Ryu-nisan?"

"You let your anger get the better of you." Boss answered. "You didn't want to help me fight, you wanted to hurt them. You lost yourself to the darkness, and so did Dorumon." Boss answered.

"But I didn't want this. I just, I just wanted to help. They were attacking everyone and, and, and it was so horrible. I wanted them to stop it. I wanted them to know what they were doing to my friends. They had to be stopped. They had to be hurt." Haseo sobbed and stuttered. "But I, I didn't want this to happen."

"I have told you before Haseo, that you must control your anger. You and Dorumon are more connected then most partner teams are. If you let the darkness in your heart take over, than it will be your brother that gets hurt from it." Boss said. He walked past Haseo, but he grabbed his pant leg.

"Please. Please help Ryu-nisan!" Haseo sobbed.

"I will try to. But I can't guarantee I will be able to save him." Boss replied grimly. Haseo let go and began to cry again. "If I have to, I will kill him." GranDracmon said grimly as he walked towards the fire that had began in the woods.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Haseo sobbed over and over to himself.

"I'm sorry." Haseo sobbed, curled up in the dark room. Daemon stood over him, grinning in sheer delight as he watched Haseo struggle with those terrifying memories. He reached a claw out and gently pet Haseo's soft hair, making the young man cringe. Tears fell down his closed eyes as he was secluded in his nightmares. Daemon looked back at Dorumon and smiled when he saw a similar reaction.

"I love mind raping." Daemon said simply. "No wonder Itachi loves his Tsukuyomi."


	38. Chapter 38

Dislcimaer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 36: Haseo's Resolve, Aim True DoruGreymon!

Haseo sat within the wreckage of the mansion and looked around with tearful eyes. The Boss had gone off to stop Dorumon's rampage, leaving him all alone. This had all been his fault. He had let Daemon in. He had given Daemon the power to do this. It was his fault that everyone was dead and his home destroyed.

"Why did I have to listen to him?" he cried. "Ryu-nisan, daddy, please someone come help me." Haseo curled up tighter and began crying harder, feeling so sorry for everything he could hardly stand it. He felt alone and inferior. He was trash that betrayed his friends for something he could never have.

"I'll never be like Ryu-nisan or the Boss. I was stupid for even trying to try it. Why did I have to listen to Daemon? He said he could help me get what I wanted but now all I want is for my friends back!" Haseo cried.

All I wanted was a friend to comfort me. I always felt so alone in that world, even when I was surrounded by friends. I wanted to prove myself to Ryu-nisan and the Boss, and most importantly to myself. I felt so inferior, so different knowing I was a human.

I found myself cursing what I was so often. I still do. I have had so many fun times with my friends and family, but are we really a family? The Boss found me, cold and alone in the Dark Area. I had no idea who I was or where I was. When the Boss took me home I had no idea what was going on.

_The small boy flinched when he felt the furry dragon place his large nose against him and sniff rapidly. "He smells different." The dragon said excitedly, his tail moving rapidly. "Boss what digimon is he?"_

"_What's a digimon?" the five year old asked._

"_We are silly." Dorumon answered as if it was obvious._

_The boy frowned. "I don't feel like a digimon."_

"_Well what else could you be?" the dragon asked._

_The Boss entered the room and smiled at the young boys. "He is not a digimon Dorumon, he's a human." Dorumon frowned in confusion._

"_But he looks like you. Isn't he the same kind of digimon as you?" Doruon asked._

"_Nope." The Boss answered with a smile. "This young boy is a human and comes from the human world."_

_The five year old frowned. That sounded right somehow, but he couldn't tell for sure. "Do you know who I am?" he asked. This Boss person knew he was different from himself and Dorumon so surely that meant that he would know who he was right? The Boss however frowned when he asked the question._

"_I'm sorry but I don't." he answered. "I wish I could help but I don't know everything."_

_Dorumon frowned again. "Boss you say you know everything all the time."_

"_I do not silly dragon." The Boss laughed._

"_Well do you know where I'm from?" the boy asked._

"_Again, I'm sorry but no I don't." The Boss answered. "I don't know where you live or where you're from exactly." The five year old frowned, suddenly feeling as if the man knew far more than he was letting on._

"_So he doesn't have anywhere to stay?" Dorumon asked. "Can he stay here then? I've never talked to a human before!" The Boss smiled, as if he knew that was exactly what Dorumon would ask._

"_Oh of course he can!" the Boss cried cheerfully. "It wouldn't be right to kick him out where who, other than myself, knows what could get him!"_

"_Yay!" Dorumon cheered._

"_Thank you." The boy said meekly._

"_Hm, so what should we call you?" Dorumon asked. "You can't remember your name so we should think of what to call you!" The Boss frowned suddenly, as if he had forgotten something crucial. He put a hand under his chin as he tried thinking of something. "I can't believe I didn't think of that." He muttered._

"_I'm not sure." The boy said curiously._

"_Haseo." The Boss said suddenly._

"_What?" Dorumon asked._

_The boss smiled and nodded. "Yes, that seems quite fitting. We'll call you Haseo for the time being. Is that okay with you?" The boy nodded, making the Boss smile a little wider. "It's the name of an old friend of mine. He's not around anymore, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you borrowed it. It's okay with you too, right?"_

Of course it was. That name was enough to satisfy me. I did not truly care about learning where I was from so long as I was happy. Back then it did not matter that I was human and they were digimon. I hardly even knew what that meant. I would give anything to go back to that time, with those happy feelings of belonging.

But it did not last. I slowly realized that my brother and I were very different indeed. There was nothing, and still is nothing I can do to change that obvious fact. Digimon are superior to humans, and humans are obviously inferior. It is as plain as night.

But does that mean that humans are weak?

Do humans not have their own powers in their own ways? Celena's ability to shine light on a situation. Masurao's confidence and courage. Hanekuro's willingness to protect the people he deems his friends. Jasper's amazing intellect despite his young age. Humans and digimon are very different both physically and emotionally. Nobody is exactly the same in either species.

So does that not mean that some humans are stronger than some digimon? Is it possible that humans and digimon are equal? No, it is not possible but what is possible is that humans are not weak. They are not flowers to be blown around chaotically in the uncontrollable breeze. If I have realized anything with my time with Celena and our friends it is that humans are stronger than I originally thought.

Humans are strong. I am strong. Digimon may be better, they may not be. But either way, humans are far from weak. This species, my species is not a species of trash or weaklings. We have our own strength to use to help the digimon.

I have the strength to help my brother.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Daemon laughed as he looked at the unconscious Haseo, a look of shear terror on his sleeping face. "Oops, I think I broke my toys." He said as he looked over at Dorumon. "Now let me see. I've killed the king and prince, check. I've thrown Haseo and Dorumon into their own personal hells, check. I've created another similar yet different link between him and a future character, check. Okay, looks like I'm done here aside from killing off the other humans and their pets."

Daemon started walking out of the throne room but stopped when he felt a surge of power behind him. He slowly looked back to see Haseo slowly standing up. Haseo's yellow eyes glowed menacingly as he glared at daemon, clearly pissed off. "But how? I mind raped you dammit! I used a freaking Tsukiyomi-esque move. How did you break out of that!?"

"I am not really sure." Haseo answered. "I suppose your Tsukuyomi-espque move helped me come to terms with a few things."

"Yeah, way to go Daemon." Dorugamon said as he stood up. "You finally did something worthwhile for us."

"Shut up you," Daemon began.

"No. You shut up!" Haseo snapped, his eyes glowing angrily. "You have tormented me for as long as I can remember. I have been unable to move past that horrific day, stuck with my own insecurities. But now I," Haseo paused as he looked down at his hands and clenched them. His body was covered in his pure white digisoul, his Crest of Darkness staining the part around it black but not all of it.

"A black digisoul!?" Daemon cried in shock.

"Black is not synonymous with evil." Haseo said. "And humans are not synonymous with weak!" He took out his digivice, the form changing. It became rectangular and pure black. The three buttons were a pure white. Haseo's digisoul collected on his right hand and began culminating on his wrist. "Digisoul, Full Charge!"

"Dorugamon shinka!" Dorugamon was covered in darkness that enveloped the area. Daemon glared through it as he waited for the new form to reveal itself. Dorugamon was larger now, probably twice his previous size. He had a long neck and was a blood red color rather than dark purple. He had numerous lightening black lines of fur on his body, but the white from his previous forms remained. His wings were far larger and his tail ended in a metal, spear-like tip. He had a horn just below his red gem, the horn metallic and jutting out like a lightening bolt. "DoruGreymon!" he roared.

Haseo stood on his brother's back. Attached to his right wrist was a black bow that had a light black aura over it. Haseo took the string of the arrow and pulled it back, the digisoul stretching back to form a glowing arrow of black energy. Haseo smiled happily. "I can feel our powers together. Thank you Ryu-nisan for trusting me with this power." He said quietly. "We might not be strong enough to beat Daemon, but we have to try right?"

"Of course!" DoruGreymon answered.

"What do you two honestly think you can do?" Daemon asked. "Defeat me? You two aren't worth my time, but considering our past I'll give you the courtesy of being destroyed by me."

Haseo was silent, his actions speaking louder than his words. He released the glowing arrow, which sped towards Daemon. The Demon Lord deflected the arrow with his arm, the energy barely affecting him. "Interesting. Perhaps instead of destroying you two I'll just bring you home for a few experiments. Maybe a little bonding time with Belphemon and his new ally."

DoruGreymon lunged at Daemon, his sharp horn aimed for the demon. Daemon caught the horn easily, stopping the dragon's charge entirely. Haseo jumped off of DoruGreymon and created another arrow and fired it at Daemon from behind. Daemon caught the arrow with his other hand and laughed. "You two really think you can beat me?" he roared.

"Yes!" Dorugreymon cried as he shifted his weight and bent. His tail flew around and smacked Daemon off of the dragon and into a wall. Haseo created arrow after arrow and fired them at Daemon, creating an explosion around him. When he was done his left hand was beginning to sting but he felt sure that he managed to do something to the evil monster.

The smoke cleared to reveal Daemon unharmed, except for a few small scratches and tears on his robes. "My my, this is an interesting ability." He said as he calmly walked forward. DoruGreymon struck with his sharp metal tail, but Daemon grabbed it and picked DoruGreymonj up easily. Haseo watched in shock as the Demon Lord threw his older brother across the area and slammed him into the further wall.

Haseo glared at Daemon and began firing several more arrows, each one exploding into nothingness when they hit him. Daemon chuckled at the boy's vain attempts to destroy him. "I'm beginning to understand how those powers of yours work. Those aren't your own powers, their DoruGreymon's. Whatever that glove is let's you borrow some of DoruGreymon's powers, namely the one that lets him turn digital particles in the air into large cannonballs. However, in your case that bow also mixes it with your digisoul to create arrows. The arrows are thinner and can pierce far easier than DoruGreymon's attacks, and this allows you to attack from two different sides. It's smart I suppose, but rather unorthodox."

"How did you figure that out? I do not entirely know how my glove works." Haseo said uncertainly.

"Well I am genre savvy." Daemon answered before pointing his finger at Haseo and firing a large burst of energy at him. Haseo cried as he was knocked across the room like a rag doll. DoruGreymon flew up and caught him before he could land and break something. Haseo climbed onto DoruGreymon's back and the large dragon flew towards the top of the throne room. Daemon was about to follow, but stopped suddenly.

'Those powers.' He thought as he looked towards one of the walls. 'I can feel familiar energies coming this way. And could that last one be?' "I'm going to need to end this quickly." Daemon decided.

"What do we do Otouto? I don't think we can win." DoruGreymon said worriedly.

"I do not know." Haseo answered. "But we must think of something. We cannot loose here, after everything that Daemon has done!"

"We could go charging in blindly. That seems to work for the people in the Boss' old bed time stories." DoruGreymon answered, half joking and half serious.

"If you're not going to attack me, then I'll take the fight to you!" Daemon cried as darkness welled around his body. His wings spread out dramatically as horns broke out of the cloth covering his head. A spear formed from the darkness around him and he looked up at Haseo and DoruGreymon. "Now I'll destroy you two. Something I should have done years ago!" Daemon flew up towards DoruGreymon, the two brothers panicking.

Haseo formed an arrow and launched it at Daemon, but was blown away instantly. Haseo's eyes widened as a burst of inspiration struck him. He formed another arrow and waited. DoruGreymon flew away as quickly as he could, knocking Haseo's aim off and making him let go of the arrow. "Careful Ryu-nisan, I am trying to aim!" he cried urgently.

"Which you can't do if we're dead!" DoruGreymon cried a she narrowly dodged Daemon's attack. The demon Lord flew up and landed on the ceiling, his spear pointing at the boys.

"Come, drown in true dar, ARGH!" Daemon cried in shock as one of Haseo's arrows pierced his wing and pinned him to the ceiling. He stared at the arrow in shock, unable to comprehend the attack had worked. Haseo and doruGreymon also stared in shock, but Haseo quickly took advantage of the situation. He unleashed several more arrows until four arrows were embedded in Daemon's wings and the ceiling.

"You bastard!" Daemon roared as he tried pulling the arrows out, but the surge of energy sent a shockwave of pain through his wings. "How dare you harm my wings! I'll kill you both!" DoruGreymon flew up at Daemon, his horn glowing brightly as he charged at the Deamon Lord. Daemon defended with his spear, a power struggle ensuing between the two digimon.

The throne room was filled with a massive wave of energy that completely destroyed the ceiling. Smoke and rubble flew everywhere, completely shrouding what was happening. As the dust settled, Dorumon looked up and gasped at what he saw. Daemon stood in front of a kneeling Haseo, his spear pointed directly at the boy's face. The movement of rubble alerted the three to a new person.

"I see." Daemon said, his spear inches away from Haseo's face. "So you've decided to show up after all."


	39. Chapter 39

Okay, I'm working on a character guide to put on my profile. It won't have everything obviously, but it should be useful. Granted I have a lot of stuff to do so I have no idea when it will be up, but I am working on it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 37: Tonight, Though We Cannot See The Moon

'He thinks I'm weak? He thinks I'm a nobody! I'll show you how wrong you are! I won't die away just because you want me to!' Dex flew out of the crater, his body broken and burned in several places. His clawed hands aimed for Hanekuro's throat. The teenage boy barely had any time to look back at the monstrous abomination before feeling the sharp claws wrap around him, blocking his air supply.

"No!" Kaya screamed.

"Let go of him!" Masurao yelled.

"Or what?" Dex laughed insanely. HisyaRyumon charged at Dex, but the evil dragon only laughed as he knocked him away. "You bunch of idiots! I will not die so easily. I can regenerate any part of my body, even my internal organs. There is no hope for you." Dex cackled as he slowly squeezed Hanekuro's neck tighter and tighter.

Hanekuro's vision began to dim as he stared at the twisted up face of horror. He heard Dex laugh as he suffocated, sinking further into darkness. He felt light headed, as if he was half asleep. He couldn't breathe at all anymore, his lungs burning for more oxygen. His mouth opened slightly, desperately trying to see through the haze and take a deep breath of air. Dex loosened his grip a bit, just enough to let him breath.

Dex gently nuzzled the boy's face with his own scaly, bloodied face. "You shouldn't have listened to her." Dex whispered softly. "Wouldn't it have been better to just live in blissful ignorance than stand against me? Maybe in time I really could have been your brother." Dex's soft eyes suddenly grew hard as he squeezed Hanekuro's neck again. "But it's too late no, isn't it? You rejected me for what I am! I'll make sure the final thing you see, is what I really am!"

"You say you want people to look at the real you, but all you do is show them faces you've borrowed from others."

Dex gasped as he was knocked back by a sudden force, Hanekuro dropping to his knees and gasping for air. Dex was flown into the wall and broke through it, opening the hallway up even more. The horrific dragon began to stand up, using the rubble as a support. He looked around the destroyed hallways and saw red rose petals drifting down delicately through the air.

"You say that you want to prove that you are you, and yet you rely on the faces of others to make friends. You're nothing but an ugly turncoat whose only ability is tangling himself and those around him in a web of lies. You're a hideous abomination, and I pity you."

The rose petals were blown away by a large gale of wind, making everyone look away. When they looked back, Yosuya stood within the center of the large broken area. She wore a crimson red suit and skirt, and hanging from a crimson belt at her side was a smallkatana, a wakizashi, with a snow white hilt. CrystalGatomon sat on her shoulder and glared at Dex as he stood up and moved away from where he had landed.

"I don't want your pity you bitch." Dex growled. "I am me, and nobody else!"

"Then why?" Yosuya asked. "Why do you use your powers to take the forms of others and trick them to gain their friendship?"

"Because I," Dex faltered and looked away from Yosuya. His eyes filled with uncertainty, he tried to think of an answer. "Because," he snarled as he turned back to Yosuya. "That's just what I do bitch!" Dex flung himself at Yosuya, but CrystalGatomon was faster. A small forest of crystal spikes rose up between Dex and Yosuya, nearly impaling the dragon. Dex flew back and waited for what would come as the spikes surrounded Yosuya and her partner.

"Digisoul Charge, Overdrive!" The crystals let loose a storm of crimson light all around the room. Dex flinched, snarling as he pulled away from the offending light. The crystals were changed into glowing red rose petals that drifted away to reveal a new digimon.

"Helooooo nurse!" Masurao cried.

The new digimon looked very human. She wore a purple dress shirt and armor. Her hands had purple gloves that ended in sharp claws. Her legs had tight purple armor that ended in sharp heels, and tied around her waist was a strange skirt, the front of it barely reaching half way to her knees and was made mostly of interconnecting crimson belts. The back of the skirt however, looked to be made of large rose petals that fell down to near the floor. Her wakizashi's handle could be seen poking out from her left side, above the rose petal skirt. Her face was covered by a mask, half of it black with a glaring crimson eyes and the other pure white. The armor covered her head and connected to the mask. The armor reached up and created pointed, rabbit like ears and snow white hair fell down to the beautiful creature's waist. "Rosettamon." She stated, her voice sounding like a slightly warped version of Youya's.

Dex smiled at the new digimon and flexed his wings. "That's quite an upgrade! Here, let me get back in peak form as well!" Dex glowed dark black as the rocks around him broke down and surrounded him as lowing particles. The particles placed themselves over his wounds and slowly healed him until he was back to his condition before fighting HisyaRyumon.

"Master, are you okay?" Ryudamon asked worriedly. Hanekuro, who Kaya had pulled away from the battle and was now lying next to the still injured Strabimon, nodded weakly. "I'm sorry I couldn't kill him. This is all my fault Master." Ryudamon said, hanging his head in shame.

"No it isn't. I was too caught up in blaming myself for what happened with Ryou. The moment I saw him, it was like a tremendous weight was lifted from my heart." Hanekurowheezed. "But now, I see I was wrong to be so blind. I can't let my guilt way me down and I have to listen to my real friends more. That's what my Crest is about right?" Ryudamon hugged Hanekuro and helped him sit up. "While my mom, whatever she is now, fights off Dex we need to take care of Strabimon."

"Don't worry about me." Strabimon coughed. He sat up weakly, Masurao keeping his arms around him in case he fell over. "Nothing vital was hit, I should be fine." He coughed.

"Maybe so, but we need to get you out of here as soon as Dex is finished off." Masurao said worriedly. He looked at Strabimon worriedly, his stomach lurching when the wolf flinched from a sudden burst of pain and curled up in his arms. "Don't worry, I promise we'll get help soon." Masurao said as he hugged his partner closer.

Dex flew towards Rosettamon, intent on running his claw straight through her generous assets. He roared as the rose knight seemed to not care that he was charging and lunged his hand forward. Dex coughed as Rosettamon side stepped the attack and grabbed his face, stopping his head instantly and whiplashing the rest of his body forward. Rosettamon glared, a red light shinning under the mask's single eye. She slammed Dex into the ground, sending a small shockwave from the impact.

Dex looked up in horror as Rosettamon picked him up and threw him across the room, crashing him through several walls. Rosettamon smirked when she saw the dragon return, ready to keep fighting. "You have a lot of faults, but one thing I won't deny is your persistence." She said, her arms crossed.

"You haven't seen my persistence yet!" Dex roared as his normally closed jaws opened to unleash a burst of black flames. The flames sped towards Rosettamon, forcing her to jump away. To her surprise, the flames followed behind her and quickly covered her body. Dex let out demonic laughter as the rose knight was covered in the flames. "Take that!" he roared, his voice even louder with his mouth open.

"Not bad." Rosettamon stated as the fires died away to reveal her relatively unharmed. "Things are definitely getting hot in here." She said. "Looks like there's a lot of fire power going around this volcano today huh?" She flew forward suddenly, Dex surprised by her sudden speed. She pulled her fist back and slammed it into Dex's mouth, sending him down into the earth. Rosettamon wasn't finished, not by a long shot. She sped down to the ground, and flipped just before landing. She slammed the back of her heel onto Dex's stomach, sending a huge shockwave through the room.

"Your mom is a monster!" Kaya yelled as she covered her eyes from the dust and debris.

The dust cleared to reveal Rosettamon walking towards the group, a proud twinkle in her mask's eye. Dex flew out of the crater, his body once again beaten to a bloody pulp. Rosettamon swung back and back handed Dex, sending him into the wall that had to be destroyed. He crashed through, his wings breaking as he landed at an odd angle.

"Well, looks like he wasn't so tough." Rosettamon stated happily.

"Mom, what's going on?" Hanekuro asked, suddenly bursting into a fit of coughing. "What are you doing here?"

"The Boss asked me for some help and told me you might me in trouble so I had to come." Rosettamon answered.

"What about all of this?" Hanekuro asked motioning towards the armor and sword.

"Oh it's just a little something I picked up while working with the Boss." Rosettamon answered with a careless shrug. "But now isn't a good time for talking. We need to get out of here and back to the Boss." Rosettamon bent down to help her sons tand up, but stopped when an inhuman roar echoed through the room.

Dex stumbled out of the wall, his wings broken, his body bloodied, his jaw nearly broken off. "I won't die." He gasped. "I won't die. I won't die. I won't die." He repeated himself again and again as he stumbled forward. His eyes flew around the room wildly, until finally resting on the group. He lifted a broken claw and pointed at them. "You will never see Ryou, or anything ever again. I will kill you where you stand." He growled.

Dex bent down, clutching his head in agony as a dark energy covered him. His armor was stained black and lightening bolt patterns covered him. His wings burst out of their scales, revealing leathery black wings and smaller red feathered wings. His tail turned a shiny silver and the tip became a sword point. His jaws burst, revealing the horrific maw underneath. "DexDoruGoramon!" he bellowed.

"What the hell!?" Masurao cried, falling back.

"Doru?" Kaya said quietly. "Is that thing related to Dorumon in some way?"

"Mom, what is that thing?" Hanekuro asked as the beast snarled savagely.

"It's virus that needs deleting." Rosettamon answered as she straightened herself up and looked at Dex. She reached over and gently drew her sword from it's sheath. Dex roared before flying at her with amazing speed. She raised her sword and expertly parried Dex's claw. He roared angrily and attacked again, panting wildly as he struck at Rosettamon. The rose knight skillfully parried each of his blows, and shot her leg up suddenly, kicking Dex away. He landed a few feet away and roared at Rosettamon. "Very well," she said calmly as she brought her blade up, straightening it vertically in front of her. "I'll take you out with everything I have."

Dex snarled as he charged again. His wings beat as he flew towards his prey. His claws stretched out, longing to rip through her beautiful body. His eyes flashed wildly, clearly empty of any sanity he may have had earlier. Rosettamon stared calmly at the on coming monster. "Fade to black, I call your name."

Dex was shot back by the sudden burst of energy coming from Rosettamon. He landed on all fours, his tail moving slowly as he stared at his enemy. He let out a small grunt of shock when he saw what exactly Rosettamon had done.

"Every top member of Tsukikuro is given their predecessor's sword." Rosettamon stated calmly. "The sword then scans it's new owner's power and abilities, and synchronizes with it. With the swords release command, it's powers are unleashed which strengthens the user's. This is what my sword can do." Swirling around Rosettamon's hands were white rose petals that glowed. Her skirt had also turned white and she had grown small angel wings. "This is my Burst Mode!"

Dex howled as he charged at Rosettamon, but she was much faster. In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of Dex and pointed her glowing right hand at him. "Shirorze." She stated calmly. The roses that flew around Rosettamon's hand glowed brightly and each one unleashed a large burst of energy that burned into Dex's face. The dragon roared as he pulled back, covering his burning eyes. Rosettamon pulled him back and delivered a bone jarring punch to his face.

Dex was knocked back, but Rosettamon wasn't finished. She grabbed his neck and pulled him back, continuously beating him senseless. Her fists were covered in the white light as they knocked Dex harder and harder, his bones breaking with every impact. Rosettamon punched his jaw up, delivering a mighty uppercut that made him stumble back. Rosettamon twirled around and placed her glowing hands on Dex's chest. The dragon snarled down at the burning light. "Yukihime no Mai!" she cried, the white energy intensifying. Dex roared as the energy covered him completely, and was suddenly concentrated on a single point of his chest. The energy blasted him back, shooting him through more than just one or two, but several of the walls.

Rosettamon straightened up and glared at the hole she had made. Her hands glowed as the petals whirled around them quietly. "Get up!" she yelled. "I know an abomination like you isn't down yet!" As if to answer her, Dex's tail shot out and stabbed into her right shoulder. She gasped and pulled away, but Dex was mad and didn't plan on letting the latest bane of his existence get away.

He simultaneously pulled his tail back and jumped forward, having him and Rosettamon meet in the air. He grabbed Rosettamon and slammed her into the ground, took a deep breath, and unleashed a maelstrom of black flames from his mouth. He picked the rose knight up and threw her across the room. His wings spread out and he quickly followed behind. As they flew through the air the two matched blow for blow, neither of them gaining the upper hand.

They landed and charged at each other in a flash, Rosettamon's claws glowing white with the rose petals dancing around and Dex's glowing black with flames dancing around. The two clashed, creating a wave of energy that knocked Ryudamon over and onto Kaya. Debris flew everywhere as the two continued their epic power struggle. Rosettamon smirked under her mask, and relaxed her pose. Dex lunged forward, surprising even himself. Rosettamon grabbed his face and rather than using some fancy attack just plain unleashed a torrent of glowing white energy into his face.

Rosettamon used her other claw and grabbed his shoulder, making sure he wouldn't go flying until she knew he was dead. The white energy intensified, burning away Dex's face and filling the air with the pungent aroma of roses and burning flesh. Dex began struggling wildly, trying to snarl but couldn't because of the firm grip Rosettamon had on his face.

Dex flexed all four of his wings out and struck Rosettamon with his sharp tail. She gasped as the blade sank into her shoulder, forcing her to halt the flow of energy. Dex stumbled back, his head smoking from the assault it had endured. The smoke cleared, revealing his hideously scarred face.

Hanekuro turned away from Kaya and threw up.

Dex began panting as his hideously deformed face glared at Rosettamon. He weakly lifted his claw and pointed it at her, but gasped suddenly. He lurched and began coughing up blood, spraying it out on the ground in front of him. He panted heavily, Rosettamon also panting as blood stained her shirt and wings. Dex straightened up and calmly looked at Rosettamon before spreading his wings out again. The rubble around them broke into black particles that spread over his glowing body and slowly began reforming his face.

"It seems I went a little over board." Dex said as he looked at the area and his own mutated body.

"Same here." Rosettamon agreed. "Your face is horribly disfigured despite absorbing the data around here, and both of my shoulders are pretty damaged. Let's say we continue this another time?"

Dex nodded slowly, a small bit of flesh falling from his face. "Agreed. I'll kill your son another time Yosuya." He gently flew up into the air and gave one last look down at Hanekuro. "It was nice knowing you while I did Kuro-kun. But I guess this just isn't the life for me. Rest assured though, **we'll meet again.**" He added, his voice deep and menacing. Dex flew off into the darkening skies, leaving the rose knight behind.

Rosettamon was covered in a large rose bud which exploded to reveal a tired looking Yosuya and Crystal Gatomon. "Well, that ended better than I thought." She said sweetly. "How are you all doing?" she asked her son and his friends.

"Strabimon is really hurt." Masurao answered. "He says nothing vital was hit but I'm still worried." Masurao watched some of the white rose petals land on Strabimon's wounds and steam slightly. Strabimon whimpered in his partner's arms as the petals sealed the wound.

"That should work as a good bandage until we can get you some proper medical attention." CrystalGatomon said.

"Thank you." Masurao said gratefully.

"You're welcome." Youya sighed. "Now as much as I'm sure we could all use a rest, I think we should hurry up and find the others." Kaya helped Hanekuro up and Ryudamon and Masurao helped Strabimon stand as well.

"Yosuya, are you the only one who came here?" Koinumon asked.

"Oh? Not exactly." The woman answered. "The Boss is here too, as well as my friend's son."

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Kidd grunted as Beelzemon hit him with the butt of his gun again. He brought it up and slammed the wolf's jaws up with the mouth of it. He planted a strong kick on Kidd's chest and sent him flying back towards Loaño, who was trying to help calm the hysteric Tommy as Beelzemon walked closer.

"Oh man, you guys weren't worth a single bullet! Man, what a boring fight." Beelzemon spat.

"A boring fight huh?" a new voice asked from down the hallway. Beelzemon looked back at the two new people. "Well how about you try your guns against us!"


	40. Chapter 40

Bet you didn't see this coming!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 38: The Number One Fighter

"Who the hell are you two?" Beelzemon asked. "Heh, on second thought never mind. I don't need to know your names to fight you!" His claws flashed as he charged at the two newcomers. The digimon shot a burst of fire in front of him, exploding a creating a smoke screen. "Is that all you two have!?" Beelzemon laughed.

The biker from hell's laughter was cut short when a fist slammed into his face. Beelzemon gasped as he was thrown back out of the smoke screen and knocked to the floor. He stood up immediately and glared into the smoke. "How the hell could a human do that to me!? Who are you!?" he roared.

"Who am I?" a voice asked from within the smoke. "I thought you didn't want to know." The smoke was blown away dramatically, revealing a teenage boy standing within it. He had brown hair and matching eyes. He wore a black shirt and a red sleeveless jacket over it with black and white on it. He had a normal pair of jeans and red shoes. His body was glowing with a bright orange digisoul. "I'm the number one fighter, Masaru!" he cried.

A large yellow dinosaur like digimon stood next to him, red bracers on it's claws. "And I'm his partner Agumon!" he answered.

'Huh. I thought Tsuki said Savers wouldn't be in this.' AA muttered.

"What?" Loaño asked out loud, but AA ignored her.

"Masaru?" Beelzemon asked. His head lowered and he seemed to be in deep thought. Gradually a creepy noise echoed through the room. Beelzemon shook slightly until suddenly flying up and stretching his arms out. He laughed up, his eyes filled with excitement. "Masaru, as in the guy who beat Belphemon? As in one of the guys on the team that beat Yggdrasil?" Beelzemon laughed even louder, clearly getting some form of sadistic joy from Masaru's appearance.

"Perfect!" Beelzemon cried. He looked down and glared ferociously. A wicked smile was on his face as he continued. "You're exactly the kind of opponent I've been dyeing to face! An opponent who's even beaten a fellow Demon Lord. I was hoping to find PileVolcanomon here but you'll work even better!"

"Oh yeah? Well we'll show you just hwo strong we are. You won't even have time to draw out your guns before Agumon blows you away!" Masaru answered as he took out his digivice. It was red and black and had a similar shape to Celena or Haseo's, however the buttons were positioned differently and there was a small attachment on the side. "Digisoul Charge, Overdrive!"

"Agumon shinka!" Agumon was covered in an orange light. The light grew and destroyed the hallway around them. Kidd and Bearmon covered Loaño and Tommy with their bodies to protect them from falling debris. Agumon changed into a large dragon like knight. He had white armor on the lower parts of his body and his tail, and red armor on his chest that stretched back and formed as large wing like structures. His tail ended in a golden chakram like extension. His head had a yellow helmet and his eyes were red. "ShineGreymon!" he roared, a wave of heat and light coming from his body.

"Oh yeah." Beelzemon laughed as he drew his two guns. "This is going to be really good!" He jumped into the air and aimed his guns at ShineGreymon. "Double Impact!" he cried, pulling the triggers of his double-barreled hand guns. Bullets flew out and struck ShineGreymon, his arms flying up to defend himself just in time. Despite the small size of the bullets and very large size of ShineGreymon he was still knocked back a bit by the impact.

"Shining Blast!" ShinGreymon roared. Beams of light shot out from his wings, acting like a web of energy that tried to strike down Beelzemon. The demon biker jumped around the beams with relative ease, his lithe body and amazing speed making the task easy. "He's too fast. Just mow him down with one burst!" Masaru cried.

"Right Aniki!" ShineGreymon answered. "Glorious Burst!" he cried, firing a glowing stream of beatioful but deadly fire at Beelzemon. Beelzemon landed on a wall and jumped away from the blast, but not fast enough. The flames struck his right arm, the scent of burning leather filling the battlefield. Beelzemon landed and looked at his arm, which was now charred and the gun slightly disfigured.

"That attack." He whispered. "It was strong enough to burn my jacket and even partially melt my gun." The look of shock turned to a look pure excitement. "Oh yes, these is getting good!" he cried as he aimed his guns at ShineGreymon. "Looks like if I try toying with you I'll just get burned. It's time to go all out!" he roared before unloading a flurry of bullets on ShineGreymon.

The dragon's immense size worked against him, as it gave him little room to maneuver and acted as one large target for the demonic sharp shooter. Beelzemon unloaded bullet after bullet onto the dragon, slowly denting his armor with every shot. His eyes widened when he felt a fist and a burning energy plow into his face, knocking him back into the well. Masaru glared at Beelzemon, his fist blazing a bright orange again. "He's not the only one you have to worry about!" Masaru cried.

Beelzemon stared at Masaru and smiled again, though this one a bit tamer. "I see." He chuckled. "One of you is big and has a lot of fire power; the other is small but can move easier. One of you is a huge target with a lot of defense; the other is a smaller target but with very weak defense." He picked his guns up and aimed them at Masaru. "Oh, this is going to be good." He said. ShineGreymon picked Masaru up in time to keep him away from the bullets.

Beelzemon jumped up and got right into ShineGreymon's face. He put away his gun and his claw flashed out, slashing the dragon knight's head back. He kicked down and landed on ShineGreymon, slamming him back to the ground. Masaru jumped from his partners palm and tried to hit Beelzemon but the demon biker saw him and fired a bullet, barely missing him. Masaru landed on the ground as ShineGreymon got up, but Beelzemon was already back at work.

He landed and delivered a powerful kick to ShineGreymon's head, knocking him aside. Masaru ran up to him with a loud cry, his fist glowing dangerously. Beelzemon smiled and aimed his gun at the boy. Masaru's eyes widened and he instinctively jumped to the side. Beelzemon grunted when his bullets missed but quickly turned to ShineGreymon.

"Glorious Burst!" the dragon roared, firing said flames from his hand. Beelzemon ran out of the way easily and then rushed at the large dragon. Masaru tried catching up but Beelzemon fired a flurry of bullets at the boy, making him duck and weave too much to gain any real speed. Beelzemon jumped up and planted his feet on ShineGreymon's chest, and kicked off of him. ShineGreymon was knocked back again, landing one the ground just short of Loaño and her group.

"You know this really isn't working." Loaño said bluntly.

"I agree, looks like we need to get a power boost." Masaru said as his digisoul covered his body again. He took out his digivice again and smiled at SineGreymon. "Ready buddy?"

"Of course Aniki!" the large knight answered.

Beelzemon landed on the wall and crouched down. "Well, what sort of trick do these two pineapple heads have up their sleeves?" he wondered.

"Digisoul Charge, Burst Mode Activate!" Masaru cried, scanning his digisoul through the red scanner attachment on the side of his digivice.

ShineGreymon stood up and was covered in a pillar of fire. Kidd and Bearmon pushed their partners away to avoided the flames. When they ended they revealed a much stronger ShineGreymon. His armor was heavier and stronger, all of the orange and yellow a burnt orange color instead. The white from before was far bright now and his tail ended with a bright fire. Parts of his white armor had red border one it, and his wings had exploded to reveal wings literally made of flames. He formed a long sword and shield from the flames around his body. "ShineGreymon Burst Mode!"

Beelzemon's eyes widened as he saw his opponent's newest form. "Oh yeah, let's get moving!" he roared a she jumped off of the wall and flew at ShineGreymon. This time he didn't even get close. ShinGreymon slashed his sword out, covering Beelzemon in the flames and striking him back like a baseball. "Torrid Weiss!" he cried, his sword and shield turning into a hail of flaming bullets that pelted Beelzemon.

The demon biker roared a she charged out of the explosion, his two guns in his hands. He fired a storm of his own bullets, each one exploding as they hit ShineGreymon. The large digimon put his arms over his head to defend himself from the flurry of explosions. He raised his arms up and his wings formed into a single blazing sword that reached the ceiling. "Corona Blaze Sword!" he roared, swing the sword down.

The blade missed Beelzemon entirely, but that wasn't what Shingreymon wanted to do anyway. The resulting wave of heat and force blew the debris and Beelzemon away and slammed him into a wall. "Watch it ShineGreymon!" Masaru yelled, he and Loaño's group also being blown backwards.

"Sorry Aniki! It's hard fighting in this cramped place." ShineGreymon answered. He turned back to Beelzemon who was moving rubble off of himself. Flames covered ShinGreymon as he prepared to finish of the Demon Lords. Beelzemon watched in away as the flames coalesced in the dragon knight's hands. "Final Shining Burst!" he roared. The fire exploded forward, covering the whole wall Beelzemon had been in front of. ShineGreymon continued his blazing stream of fire until the wall vanished completely. He stopped and leaned over, his hands resting on his knees.

"Nice job ShinGreymon!" Masaru cheered.

"Right! No problem Aniki!" ShineGreymon answered.

Loud cackling filled the room as the ashes and rubble was moved to reveal Beelzemon still very much alive. His skin was burned and his biker gear was burned, torn, and even melted in some places. Kidd was forced to cover his nose when the scent of burning flesh and leather hit it. Beelzemon laughed as he walked towards the group.

"Oh man." He laughed. "This is just too much!" He grabbed his head and pulled back, his laughs echoing through the area. "I can't believe it's come to this! You guys, you're really something else! No wonder you beat Belphemon!" Beelzemon suddenly fell forward, his hands leaning on his knees as he laughed even more. "It's just too much. I'm having so much fun I can't stand it!"

Masaru smiled confidently, figuring the biker was pretty much finished. "I'm glad we could give you a fun last fight, but you Demon Lords cause way too much trouble!"

Beelzemon looked up at Masaru and frowned. "Oh no kid, I ain't done yet. Not by a long shot!" he roared. He roared in pain as his back began bulging violently. The spikes on his boots grew longer and his tail grew longer and thicker. Black wings burst out of his back, a flurry off feathers raining around him. The gun he held in his hand glowed and turned into black liquid that covered his arm. The liquid formed into a large blaster infused with his arm. The clamp on the end opened and it began crackling with purple electricity. "Beelzemon Blast Mode!"

ShinGreymon quickly reformed his wings and weapons and got ready. Beelzemon fired a burst of purple energy towards him which he quickly blocked with his shield. A brief power struggle ensued before the two energies exploded. ShineGreymon slashed his sword down where he knew Beelzemon would be. The winged biker jumped up and out of the way and blasted ShineGreymon's face with dark energy.

He sped forward, his claw glowing. "Darkness Claw!" he roared as he slashed.

"Torrid Weiss!" ShineGreymon countered, unleashing a flurry of flames from his body. Beelzemon was forced to fly away, but that didn't mean he was done attacking. He aimed his large gun at ShinGreymon and fired several more bursts of energy. ShineGreymon defended against each shot with his shield and sword, hardly having enough time to defend.

"Come on man, you can do it!" Masaru cried.

"I'm trying Aniki, but he's too small!" ShineGreymon answered. "It's guys like this that make me almost miss fighting Yggdrasil!"

"Heh, flattery will get you nowhere." Beelzemon said as he flew towards ShineGreymon. His claw and the dragon's sword clashed for a moment. Flames and dark energy battled against each other, creating an explosion that knocked both fighters back. Beelzemon was knocked into a wall and ShineGreymon nearly crushed the group again.

"Quick, while he's down! Take him our with one last burst!" Masaru cried.

"You got it Aniki!" ShineGreymon roared a she flew back up. He formed all of the fire from his wings and weapons into his palms and added more and more fire to it, the pressure visibly building. Meanwhile, Beelzemon had drawn an inverted pentagram in the air. He placed his hand in front of it, gathering dark energy from everywhere around him.

"This is going to be big." Kidd muttered.

"Yep." The other three agreed.

"Chaotic Flare!" Beelzemon cried, aiming his gun through the star's center and blasting all of his energy in a final burst.

"Final Shining Burst!" ShineGreymon roared, unleashing the ball of flames as a massive stream at Beelzemon.

The two attacks collided, and for a moment time seemed to slow down. The glowing red flames and the glowing purple flames seemed to stop, both suspended right in front of each other. But then time caught up, and the attacks didn't collide. Instead, the flames fed each other into a glorious ball of blue fire that exploded in a bright light, forcing everyone to look away.

Loaño felt a wave of heat hit her and knock her back. The heat intensified until it was almost unbearable. Even with her eyes squeezed shut, the light still burned her eyes. The noise was surprisingly lack luster, as if reality couldn't think of a sound loud enough for the explosion and had to use a weaker substitute. It was over as quickly as it had happened, and the heat against her face was replaced by a cold breeze.

'Wow' AA said, audibly tired. 'Good thing I was blocking some of the noise on that or we'd probably be deaf right now.'

Loaño opened her eyes, and slowly began blinking to clear the dots from her vision. She looked around to find that the part of the volcano was completely gone, letting in the cool air of the outside world and the bright sunlight. She looked around to see everyone else, including a tired Agumon, was just was bewildered.

"What did you do Agumon?" Masaru asked.

"I'm not really sure Aniki." Agumon said as he rubbed her green eyes with his large claws. "Where'd Beelzemon go?"

"He probably escaped when he could." Tommy answered, his voice a quiet hush. "He only fights in battles he can win or loose. Since you guys tied he didn't see anymore fun to be had."

"We have to find Haseo." Loaño said, standing up. Her legs wobbled under her and she fell over slightly. Masaru caught her quickly and helped her stand up. "Back off buddy, I might be younger than you but I can kick ass too."

"He's fourteen pup." Kidd said.

Loaño looked up at Masaru who was about a head taller than her. "What the hell?" she cried, pulling away from Masaru. "Am I really that short? I never realized it with everyone else around because I'm used to it." She looked over at Masaru who seemed a little confused. "I guess you're just really big."

"Only if by big you mean strong." Masaru snapped.

"Or if by big you mean his ego." Agumon said.

Masaru punched the top of Agumon's head angrily. "What do you mean by that?" he asked angrily.

"I had to Aniki," Agumon answered with slight tears in his eyes as he felt his sore head. "Because Touma and Yoshino aren't around to say it."

Loaño's eyes widened when she heard the name. "Touma?" she asked. "As in Touma Norstein?"

"Yeah, you know him?" Masaru asked.

"As much as I'm sure this conversion is relevant to the crossover, maybe we should get the hell out of here." Kidd said.

"Tommy and Bearmon are injured though. I don't think they can move." Loaño said, looking over at the fragile boy and his bear.

"Well they were enemies a little while ago. We could leave them." Kidd suggested.

"Hell no!" Loaño snapped. "Pick them up and let's move out!" she ordered. Kidd growled as he picked Tommy and Bearmon up, both of them looking pretty shocked at Kidd's strength even when injured. "Okay guys, we still have one more thing to take care of. To the throne room!" Loaño cried dramarically.


	41. Chapter 41

Ah, the references!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 39: Number 8, A Soul on Fire!

BANG!

The spear was knocked out of Daemon's claws by a sudden explosion in front of it. Haseo looked back in shock to find the Boss standing in the doorway of the throne room. "My show now Spear Master." He said as he stepped towards Daemon.

"I see. So that power surge I felt earlier was you and some of your allies." Daemon said as he quickly reformed a new spear from thin air.

"Bingo! The name's Boss, got it memorized?" the Boss said cockily.

"I see, so you actually came out of your little midnight castle to fight for once? How odd, I always thought you preferred controlling others from behind the scenes." Daemon commented.

The Boss only smiled in return. "You get on my bad side and I'll destroy you. It's as simple as that. You've tormented my sons for some time now so I think it's time I do a little tormenting of my own. You get what you give. One of life's little lessons."

"Life's little lessons huh?" Daemon asked before chuckling. "With our long lives we could spend hours talking about the little lessons we've picked up."

"That's true, but then we wouldn't be able to fight." The Boss answered. He turned to Haseo and Dorumon. "You two need to get out of here and fast. Things are going to be getting pretty hot in here if you know what I mean." Haseo nodded and Dorumon helped his brother get out of the large throne room. The Boss waved a hand, which forced the doors shut and locked. He turned back to Daemon and smiled. "So, are we going to do this?"

"How many times does this make it?" Daemon asked as he readied his spear.

"I'd say 72 by now, if I have it as committed to memory as I thought." The Boss answered. "Now then, let's shake things up shall we?" he asked as the heat of the room suddenly rose. "As you can see I've picked up a few tricks since our last meeting. I haven't had a chance to use this power much yet." The Boss bent down slightly and forced his hands out from his sides. Flames formed into two bright red disks with spikes running along them. The Boss looked up and smiled cockily. "Watch out, I'm serious!" he cried as he charged towards Daemon.

Daemon pulled back and defended against the spinning blade with his spear. The Boss only smiled as he jumped away and threw one of them at Daemon. The Demon Lord side stepped the attack, only to have the Boss appear behind him and catch the chakram. He skipped forward and threw both of the blades, the tips covered in raging flames. Daemon was knocked back by the blades before they returned to the Boss' hands. "Come here, I'll make it all stop!" Boss cried as he covered the rings in balls of fire and threw them at Daemon, crossing his arms.

Daemon struck at the blades, a power struggle ensuing. The two flaming balls pushed against Daemon's spear, but he managed to knock them back. The Boss caught both of them and then lunged out in the same stance as when he first summoned the blades. "In the name of the people you betrayed, I'll destroy!" he said seriously.

"That persona is very becoming of you." Daemon chuckled.

"Yeah, I like this kid too." Boss chuckled as he charged again. "Think fast!" he cried as he disappeared, only to teleport behind Daemon. He cut into the Demon Lord's back with the flaming chakram and disappeared again. He reappeared some distance away and threw one of the blades. The blades sliced and burned Daemon's arm, right before Boss teleported behind him and caught the blade.

Daemon roared as he took his chance. He spun around, cutting Boss with his wings slightly and then stabbing him through the chest with his spear. He formed a black ball of energy in his hand that blasted The Boss off of the spear end and into the far off wall. "There, have it memorized now?" Daemon asked angrily.

"Not bad Daremon. That's more like it!" Boss answered as he stepped out of the crater formed in the wall. "Now," he said quietly as his body was covered in fire. "Let the flames burn you!" he roared before sending a massive burst of pure glowing fire at Daemon. The Demon Lord took to the skies and flew above the glorious flames that threatened to burn him. Boss followed him up and attacked him with several moves in quick succession. Each time Daemon maneuvered his spear to defend himself from the onslaught.

Daemon grabbed the Boss' collar and threw him down. He followed up with another blast of black energy that crushed Boss into the ground bellow. "Commit that to memory!" he snapped angrily. Rubble fell on the Boss, covering his body. Daemon slowly floated down, his green eyes never leaving the pile of rubble. "Enough Boss, I know that wasn't enough to finish you!" he roared.

"Alright Daemon fight, fight, fight." Boss said as he climbed out of the rubble, his cuts, bruises, and torn suit fixing themselves. "It looks like I really will have to be serious about all of this." Flames gathered around the Boss, making his body glow. "Commit it to memory," he whispered as his suit changed. It turned into a black robe with a hood. The robe stretched down to his ankles and a long zipper ran down it that was unzipped at his knees and down. It had a hood on it and two chain-like lines that could tighten the hood if he had it on. "Odoru no hi Kaze, Wind of Dancing Flames!"

In front of the walls fire erupted, covering the sides of the area. The Boss' chakram had fire permanently around the tips of the sharp blades. From the circle of fire the ground changed to that of magma, cool enough to have hardened to stand on but still hot enough to kill most things. Daemon cried in shock as the heat burned him and he floated in the air again. "Let the flames burn you!" Boss cried as he flew towards Daemon. Daemon dodged quickly, but then realized that the Boss hadn't met to hit him but merely jump into the flames for cover.

A second later one of the chakram flew out of the flames behind Daemon and cut into him, the heat cauterizing the wound and burning him. Daemon roared and fired a blast of dark energy from where the blade had come from but Boss only laughed. A fireball flew towards Daemon, forcing him to defend with his spear. He struggled to block the blazing attack but knocked it aside and dispelled the flames. "Enough of these games, show yourself damn it!"

"What's the problem?" Boss answered. "Are you done already? It's not over yet!" Boss himself flew from the flames and attacked Daemon from behind. Daemon flew back and defended himself with his wing, but suffered large burns. Daemon struck at Boss with his spear as Boss tried burning him with the blazing chakram. "Got it memorized yet buddy? You can't beat me! I have no limits!" Boss cried as his body was engulfed in flames. Daemon cried as the flames spread onto him, burning his body as well.

"You think you are the only one with multiple powers? How about you have a taste of what I suppose you'd call 'True Despair'!" Daemon roared as the flames on his body turned pure black. The fires mixed, creating a massive explosion within the throne room that absorbed the other flames.

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BOOOOOM!

Loaño flinched when the loud noise filled the hallway, echoing so loudly it threatened to destroy her ear drums. She covered her ears as she tried blocking out the noise. The explosion noise died down quickly, but it felt like hours. Loaño opened her eyes and uncovered her ears. Everything seemed eerily quiet after that massive barrage of noise.

"What was that?" Tommy muttered, still leaning against Kidd for support.

"No idea kid, but it was big." Kidd answered.

"Aniki, my ears are ringing." Agumon whined.

"Mine are too. Let's go see what made that noise." Masaru said.

"Yeah, great idea. Let's go see the thing whose noise alone nearly killed us. That makes perfect sense." Loa retorted sarcastically as she followed Masaru and Agumon. Kidd sighed before picking up Tommy and Bearmon and then following behind, just managing to stay at their speed.

"My ribs are killing me." Kidd grunted as he panted loudly.

"Sorry." Bearmon said quietly.

It wasn't too long before the group found the site of the explosion. Haseo and Dorumon were sitting a few feet away from what used to be the throne room. Instead, it was an enormous pile of rubble. Daemon was nowhere in sight, but Boss was sitting in the center of the rubble. To Loaño's surprise he was panting slightly. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"We fought Daemon, and then Boss fought Daemon, and now I just want a nap." Dorumon answered tiredly. Boss suddenly stood up and let out one last sigh.

"Wow, hot enough for you?" he chuckled as he formed a cane and top hat and walked towards the group. A happy and innocent smile was planted on his face.

"Are we sure he's a good guy?" Agumon asked wearily.

"I'm not sure anymore." Masaru answered.

The Boss walked over to Kidd and helped take Tommy and Bearmon off of him before his weak body collapsed. He looked at Tommy's pale complexion and sad eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, nobody blames you." He said knowingly. Tommy gasped, tears suddenly filling his eyes. He looked away from the Boss and closed his eyes, trying to hide his tears. Bearmon wrapped his arms around his waist and tried comforting Tommy but instead he collapsed down and began crying on the floor.

The Boss ignored the crying boy and everyone else's confused looks. As he walked past Loaño he whispered. "Help him out." Loaño turned and saw the Boss wordlessly go over and talk to Haseo and Dorumon. She looked back at the collapsed and crying boy and walked over to him.

"Tommy." She said quietly, but the boy ignored her. Loaño g;ared at him, her silver eyes flashing. She picked the boy up by his shoulders and forced him to sit up. He looked at Loaño, his face a painting of shear terror. Loaño crouched down in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. "Stop crying and sounding so pathetic. If you're really sorry then just say so and move on." She whispered.

"Loaño." Tommy whispered. Loaño let him go and looked into his still empty eyes.

"Relax okay?" she told him sternly but kindly. "Even if none of my friends believe you and they want you to rot in hell, I won't. I promise that I won't leave you okay? I know that Daemon screwed you over big time, and I'm not going to blame you for it. So just calm down and stay focused. You're not some evil monster, and I promise I'll make sure that you never are."

Tommy stared at Loaño for a few more seconds before slowly a very small smile came over his pale lips. He weakly put his arms around her neck and hugged her. "I promise to stay with you." He whispered. "I've seen what Daemon can do, and I won't let it happen to you Loaño."

Boss quietly watched the scene unfold. "Why do I get the feeling you planned most of this out?" Haseo asked.

"What, you mean use a few pawns and a rook to trick a queen into toppling a king and converting his own knight. What do you take me for, KingChessmon?" Boss chuckled. He looked past the throne room and out to the open sky. He let out a loud whistle of amazement. "Wow. It looks like an explosion or something happened!" he laughed. He walked forward, whistling a happy tune as he went. He tapped his cane against some of the rubble and shook his head. He continued the process until finally he found the pile he was looking for.

He picked the large chunk of rubble up and moved out of the way easily. He smiled down at the two eggs sitting within it. "Well I knew PileVolcanomon was stubborn, but I had no idea he had such a hard outer shell." He laughed as he picked the two eggs up. "It's not exactly how I wanted things to go over but all in all things went well. Nobody important died and we got the Death Volcano!" he cheered.

"What about Volcdramon?" Haseo asked.

"Like I said, nobody important died." The Boss answered with a careless shrug. Haseo lowered his face into the wide collar, clearly sad over his friend's death. The Boss frowned for a moment before smiling reassuringly and walking over to Haseo. He put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Relax." He said calmly. "Digimon have a way of coming back remember? I'm sure all Volcdramon needs is the right care giver and he'll be his same old self in no time."

"You really think so?" Haseo asked quietly.

The Boss smirked as he handed Haseo the digitama of his friend. "Remember it is who you're talking to. I'm the Boss, I know everything!" he cried out extravagantly. A large chunk of rock flew through the air and slammed into the Boss' skull and knocked him down to the ground. He jumped up and looked around for his attacker, only to find Yosuya and her group. "Oh hey!" he called. "You're not dead!"

"Of course not, you really expected Dex to take us out?" Yosuya asked.

"Well kind of." Boss answered. "I'm still not really sure how strong he is."

"Didn't you just say you know everything?" Masaru asked bluntly, making the Boss flinch.

"Okay fine, I know most things." The Boss admitted. "But saying I know everything has a better ring to it you know?" Everyone but Haseo who had a tad too much respect for him looked at him blankly. He smiled weakly and then said, "I'll just start healing Strabimon then. Because you know, I knew he got hurt. Cause I know everything." The Boss walked over to the fallen dog and took out his sword again. "Fill, Hisagomaru!" he cried.

The sword cut through the dog, covering his wound in a red light. The light transferred to the sword and filled the gauge on it half way full with red energy. He sheathed the sword and gave Masurao a quick reassuring smile. "I can copy powers kind of. It's a long explanation and we have a love scene to get to." The Boss said, point at another group coming towards them.

"Haseo!" a scared voice cried. Celena ran up to Haseo and got down to his level. "What happened to you? You look like hell!" she cried worriedly.

"We weren't in hell exactly, but we did sort of kick Satan's ass." Dorumon chuckled weakly.

"Ryu-nisan and I fought against Daemon." Haseo answered tiredly.

"You idiots!" Celena snapped suddenly, making Haseo and Dorumon flinch. "You two took on a Demon Lord all on you own? How stupid can you be? Come on Haseo, you're supposed to be one of the level headed people in our group! I would sort of expect Rai or Hanekuro to take on daemon by themselves, but not you!"

"You are right." Haseo admitted quietly. "In the end, our battle did not mean much. We needlessly risked our lives for nothing."

"That's not what I'm saying you idiot." Celena said quietly. "What I'm saying is, if you're going to risk your lives at least do it when we're around too. Then you'll at least have a fighting chance. And that way," Celena paused, blushing as she looked away. Haseo stared at her curiously as she whispered, "That way, we can protect each other from something bad happening. None of this would be nearly as easy if you weren't here Haseo."

Haseo and Celena stared at each other quietly, both of their faces a light red. Celena moved her hand and placed it on Haseo's gloved one. She blushed a bit brighter as she smiled, Haseo returning the gesture with his own shy smile. Haseo lifted his face a bit above the wide collar, his smile shaking a bit.

"Are you guys okay?" Agumon asked suddenly, popping his large mouth in between the two. Haseo and Celena pulled away form each other quickly, shocking Agumon a bit. He looked between the two blushing teens and sighed.

"No, I thought they'd finally kiss!" Sakura whined quietly.

"They better not." Jasper said quietly, glaring at Haseo slightly.

"Yeah, who could ever want to kiss my sister?" Adam asked.

"Shut up." Jasper snapped, his small face growing a bit red.

"Jasper you're face is red." Lockheed said worriedly. "Are you sick?"

"I said shut up!" the ten year old yelled louder.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Miles away in a forest in the digital world, a large building stood empty. Through the doors and the main room, down numerous halls filled with dark lighting, giving the place a sinister feel, there was a locked door. Within the door was a room with a large metal tube in the middle with several wires hooked to it from the ceiling and floor. A thin split on the tube hissed as a gas was released from the tube and it slowly opened up.

A small figure fell out of the tube and out onto the floor, it's breathing labored greatly. It raised itself to it's hands and knees, looking around frantically. A dull pain throbbed through it's body like a separate heart beat. It fell weakly to his side and let out a small whimper as the darkness of the strange lab surrounded him.

In the middle of the darkness a small red light appeared, signaling the awakening of a terrifying monster. It walked forward quickly, it's sharp and numerous legs clicking against the tile as it moved towards the figure. It's glowing red eye fell on the figure and it gently nudged it with one of it's legs. The thing looked up at the red eye and frowned in confusion. It's eyes widened when it realized what it was looking at and let out a loud sob that echoed through the lab.


	42. Chapter 42

It's been a while since I've had a nice filler chapter. Of course, this also foreshadows so there is a point.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 40: Personal Time.

After the events at the Death Volcano the Boss opened a portal and brought the group back to his mansion. "I'll take care of the clean up at the volcano, you guys just rest here for a bit. You guys deserve it." He had said cheerfully. While they rested at his mansion he returned to the volcano to survey the damage.

"Oh boy, this place has really seen better days." He sighed as he looked at the half destroyed volcano. "Oh well," he said with a shrug. "It served it's purpose well enough."

"Let me guess." Yosuya, who had decided to accompany the Boss to the volcano, said as she walked back towards him after helping a few survivors. "You sent the group here to help them evolve to higher levels, and you knew the Demon Lords would come and take out PileVolcanomon. Right?"

"Oh Yosuya," the Boss said, waving his hand as if brushing her ideas away. "You act as if I'm some sort of manipulative bastard who enjoys screwing with people."

"Oh of course not." Yosuya said honestly. "You're a magnificent bastard that enjoys messing with people for his own gain."

The Boss laughed heartily and smiled at Yosuya. "You know me so well Rangiku." He said brightly. He looked around absently, his chaotic mind wandering off in several directions. "I've been thinking." He said.

"Don't hurt yourself."

"Very funny." Boss chuckled seriously. "Anyway, I've been thinking over a few things. AA seems to have awakened within Loaño." Yosuya frowned, telling that despite his jovial appearance the Boss was serious. "And I think it's time for her, and the rest of the group, to know exactly what they're getting themselves into."

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Yosuya asked calmly.

The Boss walked over and absently searched through some rubble. He stood up and clapped his hands together, dispelling the dirt they had gathered. "Sorry Rangiku." He answered, turning back and giving her the closest thing to a sincere look she had ever seen on him. "But it's time to go see Rukia, Orihime, and all the other little people you know."

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"I can't believe we did it again!" Celena yelled. Sakura, Kaya, and Loaño all shook their heads. Mushroomon sat on the bed, and Kidd was leaning on a wall in the corner, neither of them interested in Celena's love problems. "We almost kissed for the third time now! In front of so many people no less!"

"It does seem rather obvious you both have feelings for each other." Koinumon said.

"Yeah! You guys should just kiss already." Lunamon said.

"We can't," Celena said as she fell back on the bed. "If we do, then we're a couple. Then if we break up then things will be really tense in our group, even if we agree to be 'just friends'."

"Well did you ever think that maybe you won't break up?" Sakura suggested, careful to avoid freaking Celena out again.

"And maybe you guys are actually a great couple?" Kaya answered, just as carefully.

"It's not that easy!" Celena shouted. "Sakura and Rai, and Kaya and Hanekuo, you guys would make great couples! You know everything about each other! I hardly know anything about Haseo. He never opens up to anybody! Couples know each other inside and out. They know their favorite foods, places to go, things to do. I don't know anything about Haseo except he's lived here and somehow managed to retain some sanity with Dorumon as a brother and the Boss as his father!"

"How he managed that, I will never know." Mushroomon said.

"Well why not go and talk to him? Try to get to know him." Kaya suggested.

"It's not like I haven't tried, but every time I do it's always the same generic answers or he remembers he has to do something and he runs off." Celena answered. "It's hopeless. I'll never really get to know Haseo."

"Well where is he right now?" Sakura asked.

"He's training with Dorumon I think." Celena answered.

"Well let's go talk to him. We'll help you guys get set up together." Kaya said excitedly.

"I have a bad feeling about this, but fine." Celena said. The group left the room to go help Celena find true love.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The sound of energy gathering sounded through the air. Haseo constantly formed arrows from the excess digital particles in the air and fired them. DoruGreymon stood behind him, forced to be in his Perfect state for Haseo's glove to work. The energy formed on the bow again and Haseo pulled back the arrow, his muscles screaming in protest as they were strained to form the energy.

He released the arrow and it flew forward. It flew past the target on the other side of the practice course and missed entirely. Haseo let out a tired sigh as the bow disappeared and a tired DoruGreymon dedigivolved. "Enough Otouto, I'm tired." He panted.

"This glove is complicated." The boy said. "It relies on both my digisoul and your powers to activate. It condenses excess digital particles into energy that I can form into arrows. But," he looked at his gloved hand. His muscles were tightened and firm, making his hand clench slightly. "It's dangerous. I can't do it for very long before we both get tired."

"Hey Haseo!" Kaya and Sakura cried. Haseo looked over at the girls and their partners coming towards him.

"Hello ladies." He answered. "Is there something you need?"

"We just wanted to hang out and talk. We're friends after all right?" Kaya answered.

"Of course." Haseo answered.

The two girls shoved Celena closer to Haseo, making the boy pull back a bit. "Hey Haseo." She greeted sheepishly. "What are you up to?"

"Ryu-nisan and I have been training. We must make sure we are prepared for the next battle." Haseo answered.

"Well you must be tired!" Kaya said. "Look, you're covered in sweat."

"Yeah, why don't you go change and then we can all go get a snack in the kitchen?" Sakura agreed.

"I suppose so." Haseo answered with a shrug. He walked away form the girls to get changed. Celena glared at Sakura and Kaya but they ignored her.

"You'll thank us for this later." Sakura said.

"Yeah, like at your wedding." Kaya agreed.

"The only thing I want to do is kill you!" Celena snapped.

"Relax. It's only a snack in the kitchen. What do you really think will happen?" Lunamon asked.

"I guess so. Hey wait a minute, where did Lo and Kidd go to?" Celena wondered.

"They said something about checking on that Tommy kid." Sakura answered.

"Inverted Ulquiorra hotness!" Kaya screeched. The others looked at the door to find Haseo wearing a black long sleeved jacket that was tight against his skin. The jacket was zipped up to his neck. It had a long tail like extension that dropped down to near his ankles. He wore black hakama and white shoes. He walked towards the group, a look of slight confusion on his face.

"Inverted what?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing Haseo, Kaya is just having one of her fan girl episodes." Sakura sighed.

The group left the practice area and Haseo lead them to the kitchen. The kitchen was completely clean and very busy. Digimon moved around everywhere, cooking all sorts of foods from delicious deserts to large feasts. "Obviously this is the kitchen." Dorumon said as he ducked under a Phantomon carrying a tray of food.

"With so many digimon working for the Boss there are always mouths to feed." Haseo explained. "This is why it is so busy in here. The whole area is kept impeccably clean at all times and the chefs are always moving about. It's a large parade of delicious excitement and work."

"Sounds tasty." Lunamon chirped.

"I hope were not in the way." Koinumon said.

"No way!" Dorumon answered. "Remember, we're VIPs around here and since you're our friends it makes you the same thing. You're friends of the Boss by association."

"Excuse me." Haseo said, politely catching the attention of one of the chefs. "My friends and I would like some snacks. If it is not too much trouble could you please prepare something for us?"

"Of course Ouji-sama!" the chef answered happily.

"You know you never did answer us when we asked you if you were really a prince." Celena said. Haseo lead the group out to the dining room and seated them at one of the tables.

"I suppose I did not." Haseo answered thoughtfully. "It started as a joke originally. FanBeemon commented that being the Boss' adoptive son made me like royalty around here. Kotemon and ToyAgumon playfully began calling me Ouji meaning prince of course, and Ryu-nisan Ryu-ouji, meaning dragon prince. Eventually the new members heard of this but misunderstood and began thinking we really were of royal descent."

"Well that's pretty cool." Sakura commented with a smile. "I've never known royalty before."

"Oh please, we are hardly of such a high standing." Haseo replied embarrassedly.

"I'm still surprised you aren't scared by all of these evil looking digimon." Kaya said, looking over at a red devil like digimon with a pot belly and bat wings coming from his back. He had several tattoos and an insane look in his eyes. He even ahd the stereotypical demon horns.

"Well I am used to them by now." Haseo answered with a shrug.

"Weren't you scared when you were younger?" Lunamon asked.

"I was for a little while." Haseo answered. "But slowly I came to know that they were all good digimon at heart." He drifted back into his memories as he thought of how happy his childhood was before Daemon interfered. Bakemon would perform parlor tricks for him and Dorumon. Dobermon and Cerberumon were like large dogs that were more than happy to be pet or played with. The Devimon would take the two flying on occasion, the MarineDevimon would swim with them and make sure they were safe. "It was all so wonderful." He said distantly.

The food arrived, but far more than Haseo had anticipated. What had been planned as a small snack was now a large lunch for the group. They all talked and ate, all of them with a happy smile on their face. Celena gradually began to talk more as well and felt comfortable sitting next to Haseo. "So what sort of food do you like?" she asked.

"Seafood, especially sushi obviously." Haseo answered, a plate of sushi in front of him.

"Do you have any hobbies?" she asked.

"I draw and paint as you have seen." Haseo answered. "Kotemon also tried at one point to teach me kendo, but sadly it did not work out very well."

"Poor guy's shine was nearly broken." Dorumon said, his mouth full of food.

"Reminds me of a time Loaño's old friend tried to teach her boxing." Kaya laughed, followed by Celena as she remembered the incident.

"She broke his nose!" she laughed. "Her friend was a great boxer even when he was ten and with one random punch she broke his nose!"

"So how about desserts? Do you have a sweet tooth?" Sakura asked.

"Not really." Haseo answered with a shrug. "I do not enjoy sweet flavors. Dark chocolate is my choice, on the rare times I do eat sweets."

"I love the stuff!" Dorumon cheered. "I love sugar so much! Especially ice cream! I love strawberry ice cream!" Haseo visibly winced when the pink dessert was mentioned.

"Far too sweet for my tastes." He said. "Although I do enjoy the occasional lime now and again."

"I love cherry ice cream." Sakura said. "And if any of you make a joke about my name, I'll got Shippuden on your ass."

"Excuse me?" Haseo asked.

"You're not much of a manga reader are you?" Celena asked.

"No, though Kaya was nice enough to lone me some of her books. I rather like the one where the girl is mistaken for a boy in that rich after school club." Haseo answered.

"Wow, never pegged you for an Ouran reader." Kaya said.

"You haven't played many video games either have you?" Celena asked.

"Not really." Dorumon answered. "The only games Otouto has ever asked for are those weird ones I don't play. What are they again Otouto?"

"Silent Hill." Haseo answered with a shrug.

"Seriously?" Lunamon asked in surprise.

"Indeed, I have played all of them. Oh and Bioshock as well. Quite an interesting game." Haseo continued.

"It kind of makes sense. I guess creepy stuff doesn't unnerve you much does it?" Koinumon said.

"Not at all. My favorite monster is most likely Pyramid Head." Haseo answered.

"Okay, that's enough." Sakura intervened.

"Something wrong?" Haseo asked.

"Sakura is terrified of horror genre games." Celena chuckled. "Rai and I forced her to sit through a few levels of Resident Evil once and she nearly broke the door down."

"Indeed, that series is rather frightening. The most unnerving one though is The Cradle level of the game Thief." Haseo said.

"Yeah I'm leaving now." Sakura said as she stood up and dragged Mushroomon away.

"I should go too. I want to go see how Kurohane is handling Ryou not being Ryou." Kaya said. She excused herself from the table and her and Koinumon walked away.

"I hope they do not get lost. This mansion is rather big." Haseo said.

"I'll take all of these dishes in. Can you help me Dorumon?" Lunamon asked.

"Yeah I guess." Dorumon huffed. The two digimon took the plates away, leaving Elena and Haseo alone.

"I really enjoyed this break." Haseo said.

"Yeah it was nice. I've never really had a chance to just sit down with you and talk." Celena answered.

"Well how about you?" Haseo asked. "Could you answer your own questions?"

Celena smiled. "Okay, let me think. My favorite food is probably takoyaki. My favorite dessert has got to be strawberry shortcake. Sorry, but I love the stuff." She laughed at the look of mild disgust on Haseo's face and continued. "I like most of the main stream anime and manga like Bleach and Naruto, but never go out much from there. I'm not much of a video game player either, but when I do play it's usually the real time training ones like Viva Piñata or Animal Crossing."

"Interesting." Haseo said thoughtfully. "You are right. We have not had a chance to just sit and talk as friends. We are either at school, or fighting digimon, or figuring out mysteries, or something else. It is nice to sit back and relax with a friend. I have not had the chance to in a while."

Celena seemed hesitant for a moment, earning a curious look from Haseo. "How long have you been with the Boss and Dorumon?" she asked.

"Since I was five, give or take a few months." Haseo answered quietly. "He found me lost and alone in the forest near here. He brought me here and let me stay until I recovered my memories. I never did, but" Haseo paused for a moment and stared off into space. "I am happy I never did." He admitted quietly. "I have enjoyed my life here so much, for the most part anyway. It makes me sad to think of living a boring life instead."

"I wonder what happened to you." Celena said quietly.

"The Boss figures it was something traumatic. It probably made me reject reality, and scared me so badly my hair turned white." Haseo answered quietly. He shrugged suddenly, trying to shake off the feeling creeping over him. "In any case I am happy to live here with my strange family and I am happy to have met you."

Celena smiled at Haseo and he smiled back. Haseo placed his hand on the table but quickly pulled away when he touched Celena's hand. The two teens looked at each other and slowly pulled closer. Their hearts beat faster in faster, both in perfect rhythm with each other. Haseo moved his hand and placed it over Celena's own. He felt that her hand was as sweaty as his own, but didn't really care. They slowly pulled closer and closer until…

"We're back!" Lunamon cried into the room. The two teens pulled away with amazing speed. Haseo moved so quickly he nearly forced his chair to fall back. Dorumon and Lunamon both went up to their partners. "Something wrong?" Lunamon asked.

"No." the teens answered quickly.

They both stood up and looked at each other uncomfortably. "Yes well," Haseo muttered. "I did enjoy this time with you Celena, it was an enjoyable I day. I will see you later then." The two teens looked at each other awkwardly for another minute, feeling as if something was missing from their departure. Haseo held his hand out and Celena shook it quickly before turning and practically running out of the dinning room.

Dorumon looked between the shut door, Haseo's embarrassed face, and put two and two together pretty easily. "It happened again, huh Otouto?" he asked.

Haseo weakly nodded his head and then turned away from his brother, leaving the dining room and the awkward feeling he had while inside it.


	43. Chapter 43

Little more filler, but things get serious next time.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 41: A Promise Sealed With Tears

Loaño and Kidd walked through the halls of the Boss' mansion, moving quickly through. "So pup why did you want to go see that Tommy kid?" Kidd asked. "Feeling sorry for him since we kicked his ass?"

"I just want to make sure he's okay. I guess I do feel a little guilty since he kicked his ass and all, but we helped him too and I sort of feel obligated to help him more." Loaño answered. She opened a pair of double doors and squeaked lightly when she saw the new area they were in. The hallway in front of them was sterilized white, and was lit by fluorescent lights overhead.

"Wow, when ToyAgumon said medical wing he wasn't kidding." Kidd said. "You still good to check on him?"

"Sure, no problem." Loaño answered shakily. "It's not like there are any actual doctors in here right? I mean there are the Boss' but they don't actually dress like doctors right?"

The two walked into the hallway and down it. They came upon a small desk with a digimon sitting behind it. She was a large white bird, her arms were her wings. She had a long neck and white armor over her shoulders and head. She looked up and smiled at them. "Hello, welcome to the medical wing. You must be Loaño and Kidd, the Boss mentioned you'd be stopping by some time today." The large bird stood up and motioned to the hallway to the right of her. "I am Swanmon, please follow me."

Kidd and Loaño followed the beautiful looking bird down the hallway. They made a few turns and quickly came upon one of the doors. Swanmon gently opened the door and walked in. "Hello you two, you have some visitors." She said sweetly. Loaño and Kidd stepped in behind her and stared in at the occupants.

Tommy sat on one of the beds, wearing a pair of light blue pajamas. A tray of food sat on a small table next to him, completely untouched. His skin was still pale and deathly, but he smiled when he saw Loaño and Kidd. In the bed next to him was Bearmon, his hat removed showing his shaggy gray hair. A tray also sat near him on a table, however it was cleaned off.

Loaño walked in slowly and sat next to Tommy. He didn't say anything; he only stared at her with a content smile on his face. Loaño was unnerved by the look on his face, like a lost puppy that had finally found its owner. She looked over and saw Kidd lean against the wall close to the door, Bearmon watching him with a look of awe and reverence.

"How are you doing?" Loaño asked.

"I'm doing well." Tommy answered in his quiet, hushed voice.

Loaño looked over at the tray of food and took it from the table. "You know you should really eat something." She said.

"I'm not hungry." Tommy answered with a shrug.

"Oh come on, you've got to be. Look at you, you're too thin." Loaño scolded. "Come on and eat."

"Well if you want me to." Tommy answered with a simple smile. He reached over and grabbed a part of the sandwitch. He took a small bit and chewed it slowly and thoughtfully. He looked at the sandwitch and set it on the tray. "I don't like it." He decided.

"Well you have to eat. How else are you going to get better?" Loaño replied. "An old friend of mine always said that you have to take care of your body, that way you're always in the best condition you can be. He gave me this little lecture a lot when he saw me eating junk food, even when he was eight he had a miniature stick up his ass. Still, he was a good guy."

Loaño looked at Tommy and saw something flash within his eyes. She frowned when she saw it, but decided not to ask what he was thinking. Tommy looked down at the food and sighed. "If it'll make you happy then I'll eat it." He said before picking the sandwitch up again. He finished it quickly and Loaño smiled at him, earning a small smile back.

"So how have you been in here?" Loaño asked.

"I'm okay I guess." Tommy answered, hanging his head slightly. "But I've been really lonely. Bearmon has been asleep most of the time and I've been feeling really sad. I can't remember much, but every once in a while something flashes through my head." He placed a hand over his heart and his frown grew deeper. "It hurts." He said quietly. "It hurts thinking about all of that stuff. I don't want to think about Daemon or the others. It hurts too much." His hand clenched, grabbing the cloth together.

"But now," Tommy looked up at the unnerved Loaño. "It's okay. Because you're here with me now." Tommy leaned forward, an eager smile on his pale face. "Now I don't have to be alone anymore. I can see it in your eyes. You're lonely, and sad. You just want somebody who will hold you tight. I feel the same way, so maybe we can both help each other."

"Hold on there." Loaño said, standing up immediately. "We hardly know each other. First of all, I am not looking for a relationship or whatever it is you're talking about. Second of all, it would never work. You're a pale kid who's been working for freaking demons for the past four years, and I'm a blonde girl with mental problems. A _lot _of mental problems."

"But," Tommy stopped and stared pleadingly at Loaño. "But when I'm near you, right now I feel so happy. Before you came in through the door I felt so lonely, so sad! But now," Tommy trailed off as he looked up at Loaño pleadingly. "I want to be with you." He admitted quietly.

"What do you even know about me?" Loaño asked.

"I know you saved us, and that's enough." Tommy answered. "Please," he begged. "Please stay with me." Loaño stared at his desperate, pleading eyes and slowly nodded. "Okay, we can stay for a little bit longer." She said, earning a smile filled with happiness from Tommy.

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Agumon stared at the vase sitting on the pedestal. It had several intricate decorations, mad of gleaming porcelain. "I like this place Aniki. Normally I can't look at stuff like this so close since Gaomon is always having heart attacks when we're with Touma. He keeps saying I'm clumsy and I'll break stuff but I'm not."

"Right." Masaru agreed sarcastically. "You're not clumsy at all."

Haseo, still a little embarrassed from his previous encounter with Celena, walked into the room. He saw Agumon so close to the vase his nose was almost touching it and felt his heart skip a beat. "Agumon!" he cried, scaring the lizard and making him jump. He bumped into the vase and it fell back. It rolled slightly and fell to the ground with a crash.

"Oops." Agumon said.

"Nice." Dorumon said sarcastically as he walked over and looked down at the ruined vase.

"Agumon, please refrain from sticking your nose near delicate pieces of art." Haseo sighed. "That is the third priceless piece of art you've destroyed today."

"No it's not, it's the second." Masaru corrected. "And to be fair, that painting going up in flames wasn't his fault. FanBeemon just pissed us off."

"That does not make it right." Haseo answered. "You need to be more careful."

"Don't blame him." Masaru answered. "It's not his fault. You yelled at him and scared him."

"Well perhaps I did snap, but I certainly did not mean for such an unfortunate action to occur. It is not as if I am trying to blame Agumon for something he did not do. I am trying to say that it is Agumon's fault for being so close to it in the first place." Haseo answered in his polite but in your face voice.

"Look buddy, either you get that stik out of your ass and apologize to Agumon, or we're going to have a problem." Masaru answered angrily. "And I know how to deal with stuck up rich boys, believe me!"

"S-Stuck up!?" Haseo stuttered. "I am no such thing! I try to be as polite and gentlemanly as possible in everything I do. You have no grounds to insult me in such a way, even more so when you hardly know me."

"I see you talking but all I'm hearing is 'I'm a stuck up prick'." Masaru answered.

"Take that back." Dorumon growled. "Don't you dare insult Otouto when he could kick your ass and look refined and gentlemanly while doing it!"

"A scrawny stick boy like him? Kick my ass?" Masaru asked before laughing loudly. "Oh man, that's rich. That's too funny." Masaru glared and pointed at Haseo dramatically. "Don't you get it? I'm Masaru, the number one fighter of the digital and human world! I took down Yggdrasil for Pete's sake, why would I be scared of fighting a pale Ulquiorra impersonator like you?"

"Ah yes, you defeated Yggdrasil." Haseo said nonchalantly. "An over sized super computer. What did you do to win, unplug him?"

"Hey! He almost destroyed both of the worlds. You owe your life to Aniki!" Agumon yelled angrily.

"Oh of course, would like us to bow down to you Masaru?" Dorumon asked sarcastically. "Or perhaps get you something? I'd hate it if the great Masaru was uncomfortable."

"You better be serious you fur covered freak!" Masaru yelled angrily.

"Why? You think anybody would willingly serve you? That's a punishment reserved only for the lowest level of hell!" Dorumon snarled back.

"Ryu-nisan that's enough." Haseo said, not liking where the situation was heading.

"You must be pretty secure with your manliness to go around wearing that piece of jewelry. Maybe I should tear it off for you!" Masaru threatened, his fists clenched.

"Oh no." Haseo muttered.

"Oh no?" Agumon asked uncertainly.

"Never insult Ryu-nisan's gem." Haseo answered quietly.

"I'll kill you!" Dorumon snarled as he tackled Masaru to the ground. The two rolled around, beating each other senseless. Haseo and Agumon watched worriedly as their partners battled.

"We have to help Aniki!" Agumon said fearfully.

"Certainly. Would you like to see the scar I have from the last time I tried to keep Ryu-nisan from fighting someone?" Haseo asked.

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Hanekuro lied on the bed in his appointed room, staring up at the ceiling. Ryudamon sat by him, desperately wishing to say something but having no idea what. What do you tell someone after the person they thought was their brother tried killing you and raping the girl you most likely love? How do you comfort someone who just saw their brother disappear for the second time in their life?

"Master." Ryudamon began, but quickly faded. He looked at the silent boy, the only thing reassuring the dragon he was still alive was his open eyes and the steady rise and fall of his chest. Ryudamon moved closer on the bed and rested his face against Hanekuro's open palm. The boy gently pet Ryudamon's neck for a few seconds but slowly stopped.

"Master please cheer up." Ryudamon begged. "Why don't we go see Loaño? Or perhaps meet that new fellow that saved her from Beelzemon. He's supposed to be a very strong and brave person. Or perhaps seeing Kaya will cheer you up? She normally does so right?"

"Ryudamon stop." Henkuro ordered, turning away from the dragon and staring at the wall.

"Yes Master." Ryudamon answered disheartened by his partner.

The door suddenly flew open to reveal Kaya and Koinumon. They walked in and Kaya stood over Hanekuro's depressed form. He looked up at her for a second and looked down again. Kaya took out a bottle she had been hiding behind her back. It was filled with freezing cold water and Hanekuro knew exactly what she planned. "Don't." he said seriously.

"Fine." Kaya answered sourly. She walked out of Hanekuro's line of site and he resumed gazing at the wall. Kaya however, would not stop. She flew onto him suddenly, shocking Ryudamon so badly he fell off the bed. Hanekuro cried as Kaya threw him onto his stomach and pinned him down by kneeling on his legs.

"What the hell!?" Hanekuro cried angrily. "For such a frail girl you can kick ass when you want to."

"Damn right!" Kaya cheered. She unscrewed the bottle and dumped the contents all over Hanekuro's backside and rear. The boy cried in shock as the cold water covered him and the bed, Ryudamon and Koinumon watching in confusion from the sidelines. Kaya stopped pouring when the bottle was empty and threw the bottle at Hanekuro, the plastic container hitting his head. She smiled as she got off of her friend and stood up.

Hanekuro curled up and began shivering. "I hate you." He gasped. "Why do you torment me?"

"Because if I don't do it in a funny way like that then you might do it in a much less funny way." Kaya answered quietly. Hanekuro uncurled slightly and looked up at Kaya. Kaya looked back down at him and frowned. "Do you need a hug?" she asked.

"Yes." Hanekuro said as he began crying. Kaya helped him sit up and she threw her arms around her shivering wet friend. Hanekuro shook violently, a combination of the cold water and his immense despair. Ryudamon climbed back up on the wet bed and also hugged his partner.

Hanekuro pulled away from Kaya and looked at her with red, puffy eyes. "Why couldn't it really be him?" he asked. "Why can't anything in my life ever work out for me?"

"Come on, things work out for you plenty of times." Kaya consoled.

"No they don't." Hanekuro said with a sad smile. "When? I had him with me, I hated Ryou. After Ryou left, it was like part of me died inside. I made his life hell and argued with him constantly. The night before he left we got into an argument remember? My parents divorced because Ryou disappeared and because I began being an even bigger jerk than before. I have almost no friends, only you, Ryudamon, Loaño, Kidd, and maybe Koinumon. And to throw salt in that wound my fucking Crest is Friendship! And finally, my younger brother comes back only to have it actually be a demented thing that tried raping you and emotionally raping me!"

Before Kaya could answer Hanekuro let out a horrible sob and threw himself on her. Kaya fell back and the two went tumbling to the ground. Hanekuro didn't care as he continued crying into Kaya's chest. "I hate my life!" he cried. "I just want it all to end! I just wish I could make everything stop!"

"Please don't say that." Kaya cried as tears began falling down her face slowly. "Please Kuro-kun don't say that. Life would be so boring without you here. Please don't say or do anything like that." She repeated, rubbing Hanekuro's back. "I swear I'll find Ryou even if it kills me. I promise I'll end your sadness somehow, and then we can live peacefully again just like when we were younger. I promise." She added, gently kissing his brow.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"So then, PileVolcanomon is dead." Lucemon said as he began the meeting. "And Volcdramon is as well, that's a bit of a plus."

"Well I try." Daemon answered proudly.

"Indeed. And on top of that while you were all causing distractions, I managed to send my new pets to destroy that pesky tunnel leading right to our castle." Lilithmon said with a smile. "It sounds like things are going all according to plan."

"Not quite." Barbamon interrupted. "It seems the Boss has contacted DATS after all. Originally I figured he would try defeating us on his own, but it appears he is desperate."

"True." Lucemon said thoughtfully. "But in the end it doesn't really matter. We knew they would get in the way eventually, now it just means we'll be taking them all down at once." The door to the room opened showing two people smiling evilly. "Just in time, it seems you've both finally arrived."

"Sorry it took me so long." Dex in his human form said as he walked into the room. "That bitch did a real number on me back there so it took a bit for me to reform completely."

"No harm done, we're just glad to have you." Lucemon answered. "Now then," he said as he turned to the other human. "Would you mind stepping inside and showing us what you've prepared for us?"

"Certainly." The man said as he stepped into the dull light of the meeting room. "As you probably already know, I am Akihiro Kurata." He pulled out a small device and pressed a button. The ceiling crashed in to reveal a huge monster, it's single red eye glowing brightly. "And this is my latest creation for our enemies' extermination."

The Demon Lords silent looked up at the large digimon and slowly each one smiled. "I knew there was a reason I liked you." Belphemon chuckled in his deep gravely voice.


	44. Chapter 44

Things start moving this chapter, and next chapter will really get things along.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Chapter 42: Welcome Home

The group met in the front room the next morning, their bags with them. Tommy and Bearmon were also there, standing close to Loaño and trying not to look at the others. Haseo and Dorumon walked into the room as well, Haseo wearing the black jacket Celena had given him.

"Wow, you look depressing even when you're not ripping off an anime character." Masaru commented, earning a glare from Dorumon. Haseo however only rolled his eyes and ignored him.

"The Boss will be down momentarily. He will take us back to Celena's home, and then take you and Agumon to your own home." Haseo said.

Loaño felt Tommy tense slightly and he scooted a bit closer to her. "What about Tommy and Bearmon?" she asked for the scared boy. She looked over at him, his eyes staring only at the floor. She knew that he was racked with guilt over everything he and Bearmon had done. And for that reason, he assumed the rest of the group was angry at him as well and had refused to make so much as eye contact, let alone actually say anything.

"He will take them to Miss Zoe's apartment." Haseo answered.

"Yay, we get to see Zoe!" Bearmon chirped. Loaño looked at the fuzzy bear and frowned. He had the exact opposite reaction to everything. Whether he couldn't remember anything they had done, or if he didn't think it was there faults she didn't know. He might not even care about what they had done. She honestly had no idea. "It'll be nice to see her huh Tommy?" Bearmon asked, giving his partner a big smile. Tommy gave a barely visible nod, making his partner frown.

Haseo sat down next to Masurao and noticed Hanekuro walking towards him. "Hey Haseo." He greeted quietly.

"Hello Hanekuro." Haseo replied. "I heard about what happened with Dex. I am sorry it turned out that way."

Hanekuro remained silent as he sat next to Haseo on the sofa. After a few seconds he opened his pale mouth. "Do you know where my mom is? There are a few things I wanted to ask her."

"No I do not." Haseo answered. "The Boss said she left yesterday before he came back. He said she had someone to go see. I do not know who, so I am sorry to say I have no idea where she is."

"Oh, I see." Hanekuro muttered solemnly.

Ryudamon sat near by and watch his partner solemnly. "He's been so torn up." He muttered.

"I'm sure he'll bounce back." Dorumon commented. "He seems like a really strong person deep down."

"Master is." Ryudamon answered with a proud smile. "He stands tall against anything, and even though he won't admit it he values everyone here as his friend and would do anything to protect them." Ryudamon paused, his smile faltering. His claws clenched and he frowned deeply. "But after Ryou turned out to be a fake, I'm afraid of how it might effect him."

Dorumon was quiet for a moment, merely looking at Hanekuro and Haseo. He turned to Ryudamon and put a claw on his back. "I can sort of imagine how Hanekuro feels." Dorumon said. Ryudamon looked over at him curiously. "If Otouto vanished suddenly, I'd feel horrible. I'd be depressed, angry, and really guilty. I'd feel as if it was my fault."

Dorumon looked over at Hanekuro who was now talking quietly with Haseo. "And if he came back, I would be so happy. I would always try protecting him and keeping him safe. I'd never want to be separated from him again. But if it turned out he wasn't Otouto, I don't know anymore." Dorumon paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he looked to the floor. "I'd feel betrayed." He said. "I'd start questioning who I could and couldn't trust anymore. I'd start questioning my friends and my family, and start secluding myself."

Ryudamon looked at Dorumon fearfully. "What do I do then? How am I supposed to help Master?"

"Make sure he knows you're there for him." Dorumon answered. "Don't leave his side, and if you have to make sure he knows that you'll come back whenever he needs you. He depends on you for strength, and you depend on him for direction and leadership. That's the way it's always been, it's just that now he needs you to be stronger than usual."

Ryudamon smiled and wrapped his arms around the other furry dragon. "Thank you Dorumon." He whispered. He pulled away and gave him a large smile before running over and jumping between Haseo and Hanekuro. Dorumon watched as the three began talking again and slowly Hanekuro seemed to grow a bit happier. Haseo also smiled and laughed with the two, obviously having a good time with his new friends. Dorumon frowned slightly, feeling a twinge in his heart. "Hanekuro." He muttered.

"Good morning everybody!" The Boss cried as he literally kicked the door open. "Is everybody ready to go back home?" He walked across the hall and opened the front door, allowing the group out of his home. They walked down to the gate and with a snap of his fingers, the Boss opened the gate. "I really did enjoy having you all here." He said as he walked past them.

"But unfortunately things have to end at some point. I'll miss you guys and I can't wait to see your bright faces again soon." The Boss said. He snapped his fingers again and three portals opened. "This first one is for Tommy, the one over there is for Masaru and Agumon. And of course that makes the middle one for all of you." He explained.

Tommy looked at Loaño worriedly and she gave him a reassuring smile. Bearmon grabbed his partner's hand and led him into the gate, which closed up behind them. Loaño watched the area the gate had been worriedly, but Kidd nudged her with his arm. "They'll be fine pup, don't worry." He reassured her.

"Right then, Masaru get the hell out of here." The Boss ordered. "Oh and be sure to tell your dad his debt is paid, tell Chika for a ten year old girl she's pretty kick ass, and pinch speaking of asses, pinch your mom's for me."

"I will not!" Masaru yelled in disgust.

"Fine." Boss answered, disgruntled. Masaru and Agumon went through their gate and it closed up behind them. The Boss turned to the main group and gave them all large smiles. "Thank you all for your help. I really appreciate it." He said. "I'm not much for good byes or showing thanks so I'll let you all be on your way back home."

The group walked past the Boss and into the gateway. "Excuse me Celena? I need a moment with you please." The Boss said. Lunamon gave Celena a worried look but the girl stepped away from the group as they walked through. Haseo stopped and gave the two a curious look before following after his brother. The gate remained open so Celena could leave once the Boss was done talking.

"What do you need Boss?" Celena asked.

"I just wanted to thank you is all." The Boss answered. "You've been really nice to Haseo and Dorumon, giving them a place to stay and all. I really appreciate it. I know he wasn't very happy with the idea of going to your world at first but now I think they both generally want to go, if only to be with you and your friends."

"You're welcome." Celena answered. "To be honest I thought they were both pretty weird. Like most people I haven't known about digimon for very long, so everything that's been happening would have been really overwhelming if it hadn't been for Haseo being around. I'm happy to have him as a friend."

The Boss smiled and nodded. He looked up at the moon hanging over head, a far off look in his eyes. "Life is always hard, but it's at least a little easier with friends around." He said. He looked down at Celena again and smiled. "Would you like to know a secret?" he asked.

"I guess." Celena answered uncertainly.

"Alright then, but keep it a secret alright? Especially from Haseo. I plan to tell him eventually, but not for a bit longer." The Boss answered. "It might seem hard to believe but I too used to have a partner."

"Really?" Celena asked.

"Shocking I know. Who could ever put up with me twenty-four seven right? But yes I used to have a partner." The Boss answered. "He was my best friend and meant a lot to me."

"What happened to him?" Celena asked.

"He died." Boss answered simply. He walked into his courtyard and picked one of the black roses. He stared at it as he spoke. "It's the curse of being immortal. You stand alone while everyone else around you fades away slowly. I was very distraught when he died, but gradually I got over it." The Boss paused for a moment and began again thoughtfully. "No, more like I buried it up in my heart."

"What was your partner's name?" Celena asked quietly.

Boss smiled as he looked back at Celena, a breeze moving his cape elegantly around him as the black petals flew off of the stem. "His name was Haseo." He answered with a small smile. Celena blinked and then smiled back. "Exactly." The Boss said when he saw her smile. "I named my son after my best friend."

Celena smiled at the Boss and turned to walk into the portal. "Oh crap!" The Boss cried suddenly, startling her.

"What is it?" Celena asked urgently.

"Oh damn, I can't believe I forgot about this." Boss cursed. "Now I have to ruin that dramatic good by scene." The Boss sighed, Celena growing more and more confused. He looked over at her and elaborated. "A worker of a friend of mine is going to be coming over in a day or two. A new law was passed recently in the human world that basically says you have to have a license to have a partner. For you guys it's sort of pointless since it's obvious you've done a lot for us, but you know there are some people that would abuse digimon."

"Oh, okay then." Celena answered. There was an awkward silence between the two and Celena nodded slowly. "Yeah that did sort of ruin the dramatic end scene huh?"

"Oh shut up!" The Boss whined. "When you literally have fifty things running through you're head at once even I can't remember and explain all of them!"

Back in the human world the group waited around for Celena to reappear. The Boss had not actually dropped them off at her home, rather the park near her home. The group wanted to go home but first waited for Celena to return home first. "What is taking her?" Sakura wandered.

"Well it is the Boss." Mushroomon answered.

"Exactly. It could be anything." Hawkmon agreed.

"Emphasis on anything." Rai commented with a smirk. Haseo however did not find it funny and shot the closest thing to a glare he ever directed at one of his friends. He looked back at the portal. He smiled as it flashed and Celena stood in front of them.

"What did the Boss want with you?" Haseo asked.

"Apparently we're getting digimon license in a few days." She answered with a shrug.

"That's it? Doesn't sound like something secret." Lunamon said.

"Well, he did say one other thing." Celena answered, looking over at Haseo. "Did I ever tell you that I really like your name Haseo?"

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

The next morning was like any other for the most part. It was a Saturday thankfully, giving the group two more days of rest before worrying about the school work they had missed. Celena's parents had happily greeted their children and their friends when they returned home, happy to hear that everybody was safe.

Haseo walked down the stairs slowly, still tired but too polite to sleep in. He walked into the kitchen to find Celena and Lunamon within it. "Good morning Haseo." Celena greeted.

"Good morning." Haseo answered. "Ryu-nisan is still sleeping upstairs."

"So are Adam and Arcadimon." Celena answered. "I was going to wake them up but they deserve to sleep in."

"And you're scared that Arcadimon will detach himself from the ceiling and fall on you like last time?" Lunamon chuckled.

Celena smiled out of annoyance and nodded curtly. "Thank you for revisiting that moment Lunamon and making sure Haseo remembers that." She said.

"You're welcome!" Lunamon chirped. "I'm going to go watch cartoons." Lunamon floated out of the living room, leaving Haseo and Celena alone. The two looked at each other awkwardly, and Haseo chuckled a bit.

"It as if fate itself wants us to be alone." He commented. "This is the third time in the past three days right?"

"Something like that." Celena answered. "It makes you wonder. It's as if some force out there is trying to tell us to get together or something."

"Indeed. Quite a humorous idea." Haseo agreed.

"Exactly." Celena agreed. "Though it is starting to make me think." She finished thoughtfully. She looked at Haseo and he looked back at her, both of them thinking the same thing. "Maybe we should get together." She said. "What do you think? Should we give it a shot?" she asked.

Haseo opened his mouth to answer when the doorbell chimed through the home. Haseo turned and looked at the door and then back at Celena. "I-I will get that." He said before hurriedly heading for the door. Celena sighed heavily, watching the white haired boy run away. "Man I hate being a teenager." She muttered.

Haseo smiled as he opened the door and smiled at the young woman on the other side. "Hello, you must be Haseo right?" she asked.

"Yes that is right." Haseo answered with a nod. "And you must be the agent coming to assign us the licenses right? Please step inside Miss." Haseo stepped aside and allowed the young woman and her digimon partner into the house. "Celena she is here." Haseo called into the kitchen.

"Yeah that's great." Celena muttered, still distracted by the previous conversation. She walked out of the kitchen and held her hand out to the girl. She had short hair, and odd shade of red. She wore a shirt a color resembling her hair and a white jacket over it. She wore shorts of a similar color and white boots. "Hi, I'm Yoshino Fujeida and this is my partner Lalamon." She greeted, shaking Celena's hand.

"Hello." Lalamon chirped, her high pitched voice making Haseo twitch slightly in the background. Lalamon had an overall oval shape, the top half of her body an upside down pink flower with a small yellow stem on top of it. The rest of her body was light green and she had small round limbs. She had three small black holes on the pink flower, obviously her face.

"I'm Celena Kurosaki and this is Haseo." Celena introduced. Lunamon came floating in, wondering what the nose was about. "This is my partner Lunamon."

"Hello!" Lunamon chirped happily.

"Before we get down to business would you like something to drink?" Haseo asked politely, acting the part of a gentleman as usual.

"Yes please." Yoshino answered. A few minutes later the group, including a sleepy Adam and confused Arcadimon were sitting at the table. Dorumon sat next to Haseo, his head resting on the table and his eyes closed.

"What's this about again?" Adam asked before letting out a big yawn.

"Basically we're here to make sure you guys are fit to take care of digimon and you won't abuse them or do anything wrong with them. Whether it'd be physical abuse, or forcing them to steal for you or something." Yoshino answered. "However, given that DATS already knows about the stuff you've been doing this is really just a boring formality."

"Sounds boring." Dorumon commented tiredly, not bothering to open his eyes.

"It could be worse." Lalamon said. "Right Yoshino?"

"Very funny." The DATS agent answered.

"You're a friend of Masaru's right?" Celena asked. "He was a big help in the digital world. He even saved my cousin."

"Yeah I heard about that." Yoshino answered with a nod. "When he heard that his dad owed the Boss and that there would be an exciting fight he practically tore a portal open on his own."

"That does sound like Masaru." Haseo commented, not sounding particularly happy or angry. Just oddly blank.

"He and Masaru didn't get off to a great start." Celena explained.

"Shocking." Yoshino muttered sarcastically. "Alright, basically I just need to hang out for a few days and make sure everything is okay. I won't be staying here or anything but Lalamon and I will be stopping by every once in a while to check on you. I'll also be collecting any information you have regarding the Demon Lords. The Boss has filled us all in on what's been going on so far." Yoshino smiled at the group. "You guys have done a great job so far."

"Thanks." Adam said sleepily.

"Hiss." Arcadimon answered.

"Thank you very much Miss Yoshino." Haseo agreed. "But our accomplishments mean very little when compared to your own. After all, you helped beat not only Kurata, but also Belphemon, Duftmon of the Royal Knights, and Yggdrasil even."

"What's that?" Adam asked.

"An annoying thing who insists he's the digital world's god." Dorumon answered sleepily. "He's strong, but the Boss could take him."

"Hey. Where was the Boss during you know, everything?" Celena asked. "Belphemon attacking, Yggdrasil going crazy. What was he doing?"

"Keeping the Gate from collapsing totally." Haseo answered. "BanchoLeomon was on this side, and the Boss was on the other side. He was the one who managed to repair the Gate after Yggdrasil disappeared."

"So he's the one." Lalamon muttered.

"Well anyway, like I said I'll just be dropping by every once in a while. I might bring over a friend or two as well, just to introduce you." Yoshino said. She smiled at the group again. "You guys aren't alone anymore. I know you're a big group already, but remember that it's not just you. You've got DATS supporting you as well. It's everyone's job to take care of these worlds. Now that the political mess is finally dyeing down DATS can finally turn it's attention back to it's real job, and we're happy to get help from you guys when going against the Demon Lords."


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Chapter 43: A Coin Flip

Shortly after Yoshino had finished explaining things she and Lalamon left. They promised to check in soon and everyone said their farewells. Adam went into the living room with Arcadimon to watch TV, Dorumon went back upstairs to sleep some more, and Lunamon went to go do something else generic and boring. Haseo and Celena remained within the dining room, both of them sitting on the opposite side of the other.

The two teens looked at everywhere in the room, except for at each other. Celena had suddenly found the painting her parents had hung on the wall near the table incredibly interesting and Haseo was staring fixedly at the table in front of him. The silence was excruciatingly painful for both of them. They desperately wanted to say something, but what? What on earth were they supposed to say to each other?

Haseo tried organizing his thoughts lest he blurt something out or say the wrong thing at the wrong time. 'I care about Celena.' He thought, trying to calm himself down. 'I care for her a lot. So logically we should be a couple, since I have a few reasons to believe she has feelings for me as well. At least four very close and uncomfortable reasons. We have almost kissed several times in a single week. So obviously we should become a couple, right? But, if we do then what if it does not work out? What if instead of just liking each other more, we drive each other insane? What if our friendship ruined?'

Haseo's calm thinking that was meant to calm and order his thoughts only proved to cause him a bigger headache and heartache. Celena wasn't doing much better.

'I love Haseo.' She thought to herself. 'I admitted it to Loaño, Sakura, Kidd, Mushroomon, and Lunamon. So, why can't I admit it to Haseo? I mean, I know I love Haseo. It's not some cliché 'Do I really love him or don't I' thing. I know I love him, and I'll freely admit it. To everyone except him. Why do I feel this way though? Every time I open my mouth my throat closes up. I want to say the words, but it's like my body won't let me. I want to be with him so much, but maybe I won't let myself tell him that because I think we'll be a horrible couple. I mean, Haseo is a nice guy but it's hard to get him to open up.'

'Should I say something?' Haseo thought. 'No, I should wait for her to say something.'

'Just saying something already Haseo. Please.' Celena thought. 'Oh who am I kidding, he's too shy to say something first. I guess I have to.' Celena looked at Haseo, his eyes drawn to her bright blue ones. "Haseo." She began slowly. "You and I have had a lot of close calls with you know, lip contact." She stumbled nervously through her words but at least she was finally saying something. "Before I say anything and we decide on anything, I think we should both tell each other how we feel about all of this."

Haseo looked away from her nervously, trying to form his thoughts into something resembling a coherent thought. "I really like you, Celena." He said so quietly it was more of a whisper. "I want to be a couple Celena, yet." Haseo paused as he tried to form his words. "I am afraid that you and I may not get along as well if we try to be a couple. I mean, I would enjoy it very much but at the same time you are the first girl I have ever felt this way about before so I do not know how it feels being together in that way. Maybe it will not change anything, maybe it will change everything. I do not know, and I am scared that things will not go well and it will ruin our friendship."

Celena nodded in understanding, it was somehow reassuring to know that Haseo felt the same way she did. "I agree." She said quietly. "I feel exactly the same way. I really like you Haseo, but I'm terrified that trying to act on these feelings will end badly. It's ridiculous." She suddenly chuckled. "I haven't even known you for a month and already I feel this way about you."

"I have an idea." Haseo said suddenly. "I do not honestly believe that merely talking this situation out will bring a result and will only serve to make us both frustrated." Haseo reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "This side we agree to be a couple, this side we agree to stay friends. It is exactly a fifty percent chance that we get either one. Perhaps it is not the most romantic way to decide but it is the fairest."

Celena frowned as she listened to the idea. No, bluntly put it was probably the least romantic idea she had ever heard. But on the other hand, Haseo was right. They would never decide on a good decision unless they chose a neutral party. And after all, what's more neutral than a fifty percent shot either way? "Go for it." Celena decided.

Haseo nodded and positioned the coin on his hand. He flipped it into the air, causing it to spin wildly up into the air. The two teens watched it spin through the air, both of them hoping for one decision and then immediately hoping for the other. The coin spun through the air and landed on the table between them with a light clink noise.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

"You moron!" Masauro yelled angrily, making Haseo flinch. Haseo was currently sitting on Masurao's couch, with Masurao, Strabimon, and Dorumon glaring at him from three different directions making him feel very uncomfortable. "You bet on what could have been the best thing to happen in your depressing and dark life on a coin flip!" Masurao yelled again.

"She agreed." Haseo defended weakly. Masurao took a game magazine he had been reading, rolled it up, and smacked Haseo on the head making the white haired teen flinch. "Was that necessary?" Haseo asked weakly.

"Yes!" Strabimon snapped.

"Otouto I thought you were supposed to be one of the smart guys in our group!" Dorumon yelled.

"Please stop yelling at me." Haseo mumbled, but knew it was futile.

"We will not stop yelling at you, you idiot!" Masurao yelled before smacking Haseo's head again. "You bet your love for Celena on a coin toss! Why would you do that!?"

"Celena and I would never be able to figure it out through talking,

SMACK!

"Yes you could you idiot!" Masurao yelled angrily.

"It's simple Otouto." Dorumon said seriously. "You like her, she likes you. Where could the problem be?"

Haseo shrunk a bit more under his brother's gaze. "Well, it's better this way. I would rather think about what could have been than what used to be."

"What if what could have been would be better than what used to be?" Strabimon asked.

"Well, what if what could have been would have gone wrong and then we would not be able to go back to what used to be even if it was worse than what could have been?" Haseo asked. The other three stopped and tried working through what Haseo had just said.

"Am I the only one confused by what he said?" Masurao asked in confusion.

"I think even I am." Haseo answered uncertainly. "And I was the one who actually said it."

"Regardless!" Dorumon snapped suddenly. "Go back home, pull Celena out of her room, and kiss her passionately!"

"I will not!" Haseo cried. "We already agreed to stay as friends, and doing something like that would be simply horrible."

"Or romantic." Strabimon pointed out.

"Please, enough of this. We already made the decision. We are not a couple and will not be from here on out." Haseo said, before Masurao smacked his head with the magazine again.

"No, bad boy!" Masurao snapped.

"I am not an animal." Haseo whimpered pathetically.

"What is with all of the yelling in here?" Masurao's mother asked as she entered the room. She had dark brown hair that fell down past her shoulders, the hair twisting slightly. She had just come home from work to find her house full of yelling teens and digimon, so obviously she was confused as to why.

"Hi mom." Masurao greeted. "You remember Haseo right?"

"Right, the vampire boy." His mother said.

"Vampire?" Haseo asked.

"Uhm, yeah." Masurao said, suddenly a little embarrassed. "Uhm, don't be mad or anything but a few of us in the group sort of call you vampire boy what with being the Boss' son, and that whole sunlight thing, and your pale skin and white hair, and yeah." Masurao sort of trailed off, leaving Haseo unsure if he should be insulted or proud to be known that way by his friends.

"Is it a good nickname for me?" Haseo asked.

"They say it behind your back hon. That probably means no." Masurao's mother answered, making Haseo's head drop a bit. "So what's the problem?"

"Haseo and Celena have had massive crushes on each other since they pretty much met right? Well finally they decided to try to act on those feelings and become a couple. Problem is Haseo is paranoid and Celena was just being reluctant about it all so they flipped a coin to see if they would stay friends and if they would be a couple. Guess what it landed on." Masurao answered.

"Oh hon." Masurao's mother sighed. "You can't measure love with something like a coin toss." She sat beside Haseo and put an arm on his shoulder. "You have to be true to your feelings. Otherwise I never would have met Masurao's father."

"How did you two meet?" Dorumon asked.

Masurao's mother stopped for a moment and smiled. "Let's just say it involved some cherries, shaving cream, and just enough alcohol to make everyone in the room really drunk." The rest of the group looked at her oddly while Masurao sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"I hate it when you say that." The teen sighed.

"But I was being true, sort of." Haseo replied. "I do really like Celena, but I'm also terrified that things will go wrong. So relying on the coin flip was the only way to rely on both feelings."

"You really thought that through." Masurao's mother said.

"Thank you." Haseo answered.

SMACK!

Masurao's mother had stolen the magazine and smacked Haseo over the head with it. "Love and feelings aren't supposed to be about thinking through things." She said bluntly, Haseo holding his repeatedly smacked head.

"Look, if you're still worried then take this." Masurao said as he took out a small white furry keychain. "It's a good luck charm. Now, when you flip the coin again for your little logic or whatever, the charm will react to what you really want in your heart and will make the coin land that way. That way you can know whether or not you really want to be with Celena or not."

Haseo stared at Masurao with a look of absolute confusion. "That must be the worst idea I have ever heard." Haseo said as he looked at the keychain in his hand. "Luck is not real Masurao. Some trinket like this cannot affect the outcome of a coin toss." Haseo stopped and stared at the small thing in his hand. "What is this anyway?"

"A luck rabbit's foot."

"Disgusting!" Haseo cried as he threw the foot into the air. Masurao caught it quickly and stared at Haseo with a raised eyebrow.

"Seriously?" he asked bluntly. "Out of all of the weird and strange things we've seen, you choose to be creeped out by a rabbit's foot good luck charm?"

"I think I liked it better when you were all hitting me." Haseo sighed.

SMACK!

"Strabimon!" Haseo cried in surprise and mild pain.

"What? You asked for it!"

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

Haseo came home a little later, feeling hungry and weary. All day he had talked to several of his friends and each of them had yelled at him in some way. He was beginning to feel absolutely horrible about everything. Perhaps he should have just asked Celena top be his girlfriend. Or at least go out on a date. Would the consequences really be that dire? Haseo opened the front door and allowed his brother in before following.

"Oh. Hey Haseo." Celena greeted awkwardly.

"Hello Celena." Haseo greeted back.

"Oh Yggdrasil." Dorumon sighed as he walked out of the hallway and into the living room.

"How was your day?" Celena asked, trying to sound normal but utterly failing.

"It was," Haseo paused and thought everything over. "Odd." He said, deciding it was the best thing to say without causing Celena to grow angry at her friends. Or draw attention to what happened that morning. But mostly the first reason. No really.

"Oh, okay then." Celena said. The two stood in the front hallway for a moment, both of them being drowned by an awkward silence. Celena finally decided to give Haseo a small wave and walk back into the living room. Haseo walked upstairs and into his room. He walked to the bed and fell onto it, face first. He screamed his frustration and pain into the mattress as loudly as he could, knowing the cushions would muffle it.

Celena sat in the living room, staring at the TV but really not paying attention. It was obvious by the look on her face that she was being torn up inside. She had made such a mistake, and she knew that now. She finally realized how desperately she wanted Haseo to be hers. To hug him closer, stroke his soft hair, and finally make the contact she had been wishing to make ever since that one Friday night.

"Just talk to him." Dorumon muttered. Celena looked over at Dorumon, embarrassed that her thoughts were so easy to read. "It's painfully obvious you want to, so just do it." Dorumon said bluntly. "I mean it's obvious that he wants you too. Trust me, I know my little brother." Celena stared at Dorumonfor a moment longer but he gave her another smile and she smiled back. She stood up and had her heart set on getting her man.

The telephone suddenly rang, shattering Celena's confidence. She walked into the kitchen and answered the phone. "Hello, you've reached the House of Hopeless Love how may I help you?" she sighed.

"Want to go have pizza at a friend of a friend of a friend's house?" Loaño asked excitedly on the other end.

"What?" Celena asked confusedly.

"Okay, an old friend of mine I saw earlier today invited me over for dinner and I agreed. So then, his friend's little sister and one of her friends that's also her older bother's and my friend's friend invited him over to their friend's house tp dinner. So he asked me if I wanted to go and I said yes. Then, the friend of my friend's mom asked if I wanted to invite another person or two over since we're all one big team now. So, I wanted to invite you, Haseo, Adam, and the digimon." Loaño answered.

Celena glared at the phone and said "I repeat, what?"

"Do you want to meet a bunch of people and go have a nice dinner with them?" Loaño summarized with a chuckle, fully aware that she was annoying and confusing her cousin. "I heard Yosuya will be there too. Apparently she's an old friend of the little sister's mom and her friend's mom."

"I don't know, I'm sort of having boy troubles remember?" Celena answered.

"Exactly!" Loaño cried excitedly. "Bring Haseo over and then I can set it up so you get some alone time. That way you two can call off the damn coin thing and finally kiss damn it!" Celena raised an eyebrow when she heard mumbling on the phone. "No, the other two that won't admit their a couple. No, not Kaya and Hanekuro I mean the vampire one and my cousin. Yes, those two. Kaya and Hanekuro are pretty much a couple anyway, it's just not official or anything. Same for Sakura and Rai. Just ask Kidd, I'm on the phone!" she finally yelled at her friend, making Celena flinch when the noise struck her ear.

"Sorry about that." Loaño apologized. "So anyway, you guys are coming."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Celena asked.

"Nope! Don't worry about dressing up or anything, just make sure you're ready to go when we get their. You guys are going to ride in a limousine!" Loaño chirped excitedly before hanging up.

"I swear I will kill her someday." Celena sighed as she hang the phone up. She gathered the group up and explained what they were going to do to her parents. Adam, needless to say, was extremely excited about meeting so many new people and digimon. Haseo and Celena still felt awkward around each other and refused to make eye contact. The sense of reassurance Dorumon had given to Celena had been utterly destroyed by her cousin.

"So what's a limousine?" Arcadimon asked his excited partner.

"It's like this really big car that rich people drive!" Adam answered excitedly. "They're either black or white and they can fit a lot of people at once. I've never ridden in one so I'm really excited!"

Dorumon watched Celena and Haseo awkwardly sit next to each other. "Sometimes even the smartest humans can be such morons." He sighed.

The doorbell suddenly rang, signaling the arrival of their ride.


	46. Chapter 46

Yeah I sort of tripped through this chapter. I had a great original but it was deleted by my brother on accident so yeah…

Chapter 44: Love Troubles

The small group walked out to the driveway and true enough, there was a long sleek limousine there. Loaño stepped out of it, obviously happy about being in the limousine and seeing her old friend again. "Friends, compare your lives to his and then go kill yourselves." She chuckled. The door on the other side of the back where Loaño had stepped out of opened to reveal a blonde haired and pale teen. He had blue eyes not unlike Celena's and wore business-like attire. "This is Touma Norstein." Loaño introduced excitedly.

"Hello." He greeted. "It's nice to meet all of you." A digimon walked out from behind the limousine so could get a better look at the group. He was a blue and white anthropomorphic dog wearing red boxing gloves and had a red headband. He had wide yellow eyes and a polite smile on his face.

"Oh, and this is Gaomon." Loaño introduced.

"Hello." He greeted.

"Cool!" Adam cried. "You're like Strabimon or Kidd, just smaller and fatter."

Gaomon's eye twitched when he heard the comment. Celena put her hands over Adam's mouth. "Adam apologize!" she snapped. "I'm sorry about that. He has a tendency to blurt out whatever is on his mind. Now apologize." She told Adam sternly.

"I'm sorry." Adam apologized half-heartedly.

The group piled into the large limousine, Adam laughing at how Kidd was uncomfortable before but even more so now that everyone was inside of the car. It was big and long, but not that big and long. They would have put their digimon in their digivices, but that's not exactly far to them. "Ow!" Gaomon cried when someone sat on his tail.

"Sorry." Arcadimon hissed.

"The house isn't too far away is it?" Celena asked.

"No, luckily they just moved." Touma answered.

"Why'd they move?" Dorumon asked.

"Their old house was uprooted, attacked them, and then destroyed." Touma answered calmly.

"Oh, standard digimon stuff." Celena said sarcastically. She found it odd that something like that could seem so normal to her now after all of the things she had seen. She hardly batted an eyelash at strange occurrences anymore. After a bit of rearranging so everyone had as much room as possible the driver set off. Celena blushed slightly when she realized she and Haseo were sitting next to each other.

"So you're a part of DATS too right?" Dorumon asked.

"That's right. I have been for some time now." Touma answered. "I have a few other things that I've been researching so I'm not always in Japan. However, I'll always be a member of DATS and I've been here for a while what with the political issues of late."

"And the evil digimon issues of late." Loaño added.

"When did the two of you meet?" Haseo asked, the first thing he had said for a while.

"We met when we were younger. I was four and she was five." Touma answered. "We've been friends since then, but a few months ago I got a lead in a certain case I've been looking into and had to leave. Since then I haven't had the chance to see her again between being with DATS and fighting evil digimon and well, just about everything else you could think of."

"Sounds like a busy schedule." Lunamon commented.

"It is. But helping people is important to me." Touma answered.

"Is it true you're a doctor?" Adam asked.

"I certainly am." Touma asked.

The rest of the car ride went on uneventfully. The group chatted calmly, though Touma did notice an odd tense feeling between Haseo and Celena. He figured it wasn't his place to ask though. The car arrived at the house and everyone got out. Touma pulled Loaño to the side for a moment. "This might not be any of my business but is there something going on with Haseo and Celena?" he asked.

Loaño rolled her eyes. She quickly explained about the coin flip and everything. "It's totally stupid. I hope they realize soon that not being a couple is doing exactly what they feared being a couple would do." Touma nodded and walked towards the house.

"Master?" Gaomon asked shyly. "Am I fat?"

Touma laughed a bit and put a hand on his partner's head. "No Gaomon, just ignore Adam." He answered. He walked up to the building and rang the doorbell.

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"So how many people ended up coming tonight?" Yosuya asked.

"I don't even know anymore honestly. 13 counting you I think."

"Really? You know that's an unlucky number in America." Yosuya commented. "Of course that doesn't have any thing really to do with us. Shouldn't we be cooking or something?"

"I decided to just order a whole lot of pizza."

"Nice." Yosuya said. "Sort of a big price though. I would have charged it to DATS since we're all either a part of or friends of said government branch."

"I did."

Yosuya looked up from her wine and smiled proudly at her friend. "Oh, I'm so proud Misuzu!" she cried as she pulled her friend into a one armed hug. "Finally after knowing you for years you're finally starting to take after me and manipulating the world to fit your needs!"

"I can't breathe. Your chest is suffocating me!"

POOF!

The two girls looked up when the Boss suddenly appeared in an explosion of black smoke. Yosuya glared and Misuzu put on a pleasant but tired smile. "I heard yuri. Where's my RukiaXRangiku yuri?" Boss asked excitedly.

"Piss off." Yosuya growled.

"Hello Boss." Misuzu sighed.

"Yo." Boss answered, grabbing the bottle of wine from the counter and setting next to Yosuya. He smiled at her, but she glared back.

"Why are you here?" Misuzu asked politely but didn't entirely hide her contempt of the strange digimon.

"I heard there would be pizza." Boss answered before drinking half of the remaining bottle. Yosuya grabbed it from him before he could finish it and topped off her glass. He put on a pouting face but a glare from Yosuya immediately made him stop. "So touchy tonight." He muttered. "Damn, you'd think some died or went missing." The Boss stopped, a look of realization on his face. "Oh." He said.

"Boss, let me ask you a question." Yosuya began as she stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "There's a man who knows everything. He comes and goes as he pleases, always wearing a Cheshire Cat's grin. He can do whatever he wants and he calls him the friend of all others." Yosuya finished her wine, putting it down near the sink hard enough for a crack to form in the cup part. "And yet, when his friends ask him for a little bit of help he refuses. Tell me now, why is that? Why would a man who can find people without a thought and get to them with a snap of his fingers, not help reunite his friends and their families?"

The Boss smiled as he stood up, walking towards Yosuya. "Oh you dear sweet thing." He cooed, his persona not changed in the least. "You remember don't you?" He asked as he drew closer to Yosuya. "I gave you the choice, remember? You found me on your own with your little cat's help. And when you did, I gave you a choice. I explained to you then, and I'll explain it again. If I brought back your loved ones, it would mean the end of everything."

SLAP!

Yosuya glared up at the Boss, her hand glowing bright red with her crimson digisoul. "You know damn well that is a lie." She growled in a deathly quiet voice. The four scratch marks slowly healed on the Boss, the man slowly facing Yosuya again. "You can do anything. You boast about it all the time." She growled as tears slowly came to her eyes. "So why? Why the hell does someone like you let horrible things happen!?"

The Boss was silent as he stared at Yosuya. Her eyes were glazed over with tears, but the anger and hatred were still very much there. "You can appear and disappear at will. You can change reality itself. You can fucking kill with a glance. So why? Why do you sit idly by and allow people, people of your own kind to be massacred? Why do you let worried wives and mothers wait painstakingly for when they can see their loved ones again. How?" Yousuya choked.

"How can you sit back and let such awful things happen, and then come back to the people you call your friends as if nothing happened!?"

The Boss stared at Yosuya for a few seconds before turning. A portal opened up before him and he walked toward it. Before he went in, he turned and looked back at Yosuya. "Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?" he asked.

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The door was opened by Masaru who smiled out at the group. The smile shrank when he saw Haseo and Dorumon but aside from that he seemed pretty happy. "Hey." He greeted, letting the group in. "Looks like we timed it well. We only got here a few minutes ago." The group walked in, removing their shoes as they passed by.

"My, this is a lovely house." Haseo said kindly.

"It's new." Masaru explained. "Their last one was turned into a Gundam and tried eating them." Agumon poked his head around the corner of the hallway to see who had come in.

"So I'm told." Celena muttered.

"Hey, just to warn you guys." Masaru said suddenly, everyone looking to him. "I'm not sure what exactly happened but Yosuya seems really pissed about something."

"We should hide Kidd." Loaño said seriously, Kidd visibly worried.

"Hello." A kind voice greeted. Misuzu walked up to the group, a pleasant smile on her face. "My, I never imagined my house could be so full." She chuckled. Yosuya appeared behind her, looking over the group. She and Kidd locked eyes for a moment, Kidd's ears drooping slightly.

"I suppose we should start the introductions." Touma reasoned. "You already know Loaño and Kidd. The read haired kids are Celena and Adam, the pink spider is Adam's partner Arcadimon."

"He's not as creepy as he looks." Loaño put in.

"Right. And the white rabbit is Lunamon." Touma continued but was cut off again.

"And the emo kid and the weird fuzzball are Haseo and Dorumon." Masaru said with a smirk, Dorumon glaring at him.

"Truly amazing." Haseo muttered. "I have never known a being to be able to annoy others with such simple sentences."

"Why do I feel like that was an insult?" Masaru muttered as the group walked further into the house.

"Lady Misuzu I must say this house is beautiful." Haseo complimented once again.

"Well thank you Haseo." She answered. "We just moved in actually, so I'm glad it all looks good. You wouldn't believe what happened to our last home."

"Oh, I doubt that." Haseo answered with a small smile.

"It's like a compulsion." Loaño muttered.

"Hm?"

"Haseo's complimenting and all. He's said that twice now. It's like he set out to make sure he complimented Misuzu." Loaño explained.

"Yeah, I guess so." Celena muttered to herself, looking at Haseo and Dorumon who were chatting happily with Misuzu and Touma. Celena suddenly felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and looked away from him. Loaño noticed it but decided not to ask anything. Even she had tact.

The group walked into the large living room, two kids and two bird digimon sitting in front of a large television. The girl looked over at them, her brown hair shifting slightly. She had a pink shirt on and blue jeans. He hair was styled into two tails behind her head. Sitting next to her was a large pink bird digimon with blue head feathers and a red beak. Touma introduced the groups once again for the children and bird's sake.

Ikuto, the boy sitting next to Chika, looked at the group curiously. He had odd dark blue hair, part of it in a tail on the side of his face. He had a black t-shirt and black jean shorts. His yellow eyes flashed wearily as he looked at the group, resting on Arcadimon and Adam. The digimon next to him, a large grey owl with a purple shirt and purple head feathers, watched the group as well. Red feathers rimmed his wide eyes.

"Yay! We're not missing Bleach after all!" Adam cheered as he sat on the sofa next to Ikuto, making himself at home. Arcadimon followed suit, sitting next to Adam. Adam turned to the TV, smiling excitedly.

"Sparkle, Riena de Rosas!" the character shouted.

"Human entertainment is so bizarre." Falcomon muttered to himself.

"Have to give them points for parodying Sailor Moon though." Chika muttered.

Loaño looked at the two sofas in the room. Masaru had just sat down on one, the other one full of kids. Only she, Haseo, and Celena remained standing. She grinned a Cheshire cat grin, grabbing Haseo and sitting down. Haseo was forced down next to her, just enough room left for Celena. "Take a seat cousin." Loaño offered for Haseo. Celena stared at the two for a moment before ignoring whatever Loaño was trying and sat down. Haseo and Celena visibly tried not to look at each other.

"Are they fighting?" Piyomon asked quietly.

"I don't know." Adam answered with a shrug. "It's some weird teen drama thing I think."

"Haseo can you get me a drink?" Loaño asked, looking sweetly at Haseo.

"I suppose." Haseo said, seemingly eager to get away from Celena. Loaño looked at Touma and Masaru, trying to make them understand. Masaru frowned, but Touma seemed to understand what she needed.

"Excuse me Celena." Touma said civilly. "Would you please get the drink I left in the kitchen? I would yell to Haseo, but you see Misuzu has a baby daughter and I would hate to wake her up."

"I'll get it Master." Gaomon offered.

"Not necessary Gaomon, I'm sure Celena would be happy to." Loaño said warmly, looking at Celena. The red head glared at her cousin for a moment before standing up and walking into the kitchen. She and Haseo looked eyes for a moment before looking away form each other embarrassedly.

"Are they together?" Misuzu asked curiously.

"I don't know." Yosuya answered quietly with a shrug. "Something about a coin toss or something."

"So you have a daughter." Celena interrupted, trying to wait for Haseo to leave the kitchen.

"Yes, I have three children now." Misuzu answered with a happy smile. "Ikuto, Falcomon, and my little daughter Yuka. She's not here right now though, she's visiting my mother and father so we could get everything moved into the new house."

"Oh really." Celena muttered, catching onto Touma and Loaño. She looked around, looking for Touma's cup but failed to find it. She caught Haseo's eyes again, a sick feeling filling her stomach again. Haseo pulled away, taking the blonde girl her drink.

"That was painful to watch." Yosuya said bluntly.

"Shut up." Celena hissed, her face red.

"What happened between you two? I heard you got along great." Yosuya asked.

"It's a long story." Celena answered.

"We've got a few minutes before the pizza should get here." Misuzu said, looking to the clock.

"Besides, I've got just enough of a buzz form this wine to be honest enough to be helpful." Yosuya added with a joking smile.

"Well," Celena said uncertainly. She sat down and explained to the two women everything that had happened between her and Haseo. Not just that day either, but everything. Their talks, their near kisses, the coin flip, everything. By the time she was done she had to get up and get her own drink.

"Wow." Yosuya chuckled. "So now you're regretting the coin thing right?"

"No!" Celena snapped, before frowning. "Yes." She said with a frown. "Maybe." She said again uncertainly.

"Just tell him how you feel." Misuzu suggested. "It seems that this whole coin thing is worse to your friendship than failing to be a couple would be."

"You think so?" Celena asked worriedly. "I like Haseo." She said quietly. "But I'm so nervous. What if it doesn't work out?"

"You'll still be friends." Yosuya answered confidently. "In high school I dated my three best male friends and I still talk to them all the time."

"Best male friends?" Misuzu asked skeptically.

"Suguru, Satsuma, and your husband." Yosuya said with a shrug, downing her wine.

"Wait, who was that last one?" Misuzu asked a little angrily.

"Oh relax, it only lasted a week." Yosuya answered with a wave of her hand.

The doorbell rang once more, signaling the arrival of the pizza. Everyone moved into the dining room, Celena watching Haseo as he did. She swallowed nervously, deciding to take a chance. She stopped him in the hallway, the boy looking at her in confusion. "Haseo," she began, "We need to talk." Haseo looked at her for a few seconds before nodding.

"Not here though, it is far too crowded." Haseo said as he took her hand and guided her upstairs.


	47. Chapter 47

I originally planned for this whole couple thing to span over the entirety of this arc but if every chapter is going to as painful as these two have been than it takes the fun out of bringing the Savers cast in. So we get sort of an anticlimactic end to the relationship take. Granted that doesn't mean their troubles are over mind you.

Chapter 45: Horrors of Love

Haseo quickly pulled Celena up the stairs and found the first room he could. He pulled Celena inside, flipped the light on, and closed the door. The two looked at each other, Haseo not having to ask to know what this was about. Celena stared back, feeling her stomach churning as it had all night. A sickening sensation filled Haseo's being and for a moment he feared that he would vomit. "Celena." He began shakily.

"Haseo." She answered, her voice wavering slightly. Haseo was secretly glad that she seemed to feel as sick as he did. It meant that she regretted the decision too. It meant that maybe they could fix this. "Earlier today we made a foolish bet." He said, trying to keep his voice even. "One cannot let something like this be decided with a simple coin toss."

"I agree." Celena said with a nod. She seemed to grow worried though and looked at Haseo. "What do we do then?"

Haseo opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again. He repeated the notion a few times before realizing he looked like a fish gasping for air. He stopped, letting out a long sigh and sitting on the bed with black sheets. "I do not know." He said quietly. "I am scared." He muttered weakly.

"I'm scared too." Celena said as she sat by Haseo, putting an arm around him. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. I'm really worried. We're great friends, but I've seen relationships go south before and never have I seen the two come out of it unharmed and on good terms." She paused for a moment, wondering what to add. She shook her head, coming up blank.

"You're the first person I met." Haseo said quietly. "After I saved you I stopped to get a good look at you, and I was stunned. I had never seen anything as beautiful as you." He paused for a moment before continuing. "At first I merely thought it a trick of the light, since my eyes were still adjusting I could not fully trust them. But that night when I could really see again, I still found myself noticing how wonderful you looked. Then I thought, perhaps it is merely because she and I are humans and this is natural."

Haseo paused again, collecting his thoughts. "But that theory was quickly proved false as well, when I met Sakura and Masurao. I felt a bond with them, certainly. And I admit that Sakura is pretty and Masurao is handsome. But neither of them compared to how I saw you. I was a little worried at first, so I asked Masurao for some advice."

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"Unm, Masurao?" Haseo asked, the brown haired boy looking away from his locker to see a nervous Haseo staring at him.

"Hey, what's up dude?" he asked, happy to see Haseo had come and found him.

"Uh, yes well," Haseo seemed to stumble through his words ineffectively. Masurao looked at him as he tried getting something out. He looked at the clock behind Haseo on the wall and frowned. "Hurry up man, class starts soon." Masurao said impatiently.

"Oh, my apologies!" Haseo cried, looking truly apologetic. Masurao just motioned for him to continue, already used to Haseo's weird tendency to act too polite or apologize a little too much. "Masurao," he began again. "Have you ever met a girl that you felt strongly about?" he asked shyly.

"Every day man!" Masurao laughed. "Look at this school. Japanese schoolgirls as far as the eyes can see. I start feeling special every time I look down the hallway!"

"Not like that!" Haseo insisted, seemingly getting a little angry for a moment. As usual the moment passed and Haseo became awkward and nervous again. "I mean more than just attraction. I mean have you ever been in actual love with someone?"

"Love?" Masurao asked, a little caught off guard. He sighed and looked at Haseo. "Man, you always ask the hard questions." He muttered. "Yeah I was once, last year. It was love, no doubt. Some adults would say it's just hormones or some crap like that, but I'm telling you it was true love."

"What happened?" Haseo asked curiously.

"We were friends." Masurao answered. "We had been for a few months by that point. We had some of the same classes together so we could be with each other a lot. I started feeling really strongly about her, and not just because she had all of the right curves, you know?" Masurao's smile turned to a slight frown when Hasoe merely looked at him. "Right well, one day I asked her out on a date. To go see a movie that Saturday."

"And?"

"She said yes." Masurao answered with a smile. "I felt on top of the world. No amount of crack could make a guy feel that amazing. We went to the movie and we both had a good time. At the end I got a little peck on the cheek and things went well for the next few weeks." Masurao's smile faded again and he began talking a bit quieter. "But then the new semester began. We couldn't see each other as often in our new classes. She played tennis after school so I couldn't see her much then either. We grew apart and when we could see each other it was always really tense. We got into a fight one night and never spoke again."

"Oh." Haseo said awkwardly. "I am,"

"Yeah, yeah," Masurao interrupted. "Oh Masurao, I am so sorry for something I had nothing to do with. I do hope there is something I can do to help you. Blah blah blah." Masurao looked at Haseo bluntly, the white haired boy looking rather shocked. "Look dude, I heard it from all my friends after the break up and none of them have some apology complex. So the last thing I need is you to go worrying about me and reopening the wound, got it? We're out of each other's lives now, and that's it."

"I see." Haseo said quietly. "So it did not end well then."

"Nope, can't say it did." Masurao answered with a shrug.

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"So that's why you've always been so apprehensive about us being together." Celena muttered.

"Yes." Haseo said with a nod. "He covered it up, but I saw that even after a year Masurao still felt a little pain inside. He has not spoken to that girl since then." Haseo looked up at Celena desperately. "I do not wish to have that happen to us."

"I think it will though." Celena said quietly. She stared at Haseo, her feelings welling up in her heart. "Haseo, I love you." He said quietly, Haseo looking at her with a mixture of shock, happiness, sadness, and several emotions Celena didn't care to identify. "But that's why we can't do this." She added, Haseo nodding. "No." she said suddenly, Haseo frowning. "I mean it's why we can't just be friends. If we try that, then I think that maybe, it will be worse for us than if our relationship didn't work out."

Haseo stopped for a moment, staring at Celena blankly. She stared back, her sapphire eyes filled with a decisive confidence. Haseo smiled at her as he moved a hand up, caressing her cheek. "I love you too." He admitted quietly. The two smiled at each other, tears slowly running down their faces. "But I believe we must take things slowly at first." Haseo added, Celena nodding in agreement. "So perhaps tomorrow we could go get ice cream or something together." Hasoe suggested awkwardly. "Would that be alright?"

"Yes." Celena said with a wide grin. "It would be perfect."

The two looked at each other, feeling that old feeling again. This was it. The moment where they had confessed their feelings. The two pulled closer, neither regretting their decision in the least. Haseo gently hugged Celena's waist and she brought her arms over his shoulders. Sapphire blue met golden yellow as they drew closer and closer to each other.

The door opened suddenly, both teens pulling away on reflex. They turned, looking to see Masaru, Ikuto, and Falcomon in the doorway. Everyone was silent, a look of surprise on their face. "What are you doing in our room?" Ikuto asked curiously.

"Oh my God!" Masaru yelled suddenly before laughing. "Oh man!" he laughed loudly. "You two were getting ready to do it! In a ten year old's room!" Masaru moved away from the door, laughing loudly as he managed his way back down stairs.

"We were not!" Haseo suddenly cried out, finally realizing what was going on around him. "We were merely going to," Celena clamped a hand over his mouth suddenly.

"It's not normally something you broadcast Haseo." She said with a bit of contempt, mostly directed at Masaru.

"What's going on in here?" Falcomon asked curiously.

"Nothing. Never mind." Haseo said quickly as the two moved out of the room. "Sorry for the disturbance."

Haseo and Celena both tried getting down stairs with as little attention on them as possible but sadly that wasn't going to happen. "Haseo!" a truly demonic voice bellowed from down stairs. "Oh dear." The teen squeaked in fear as a glowing silver Loano appeared at the foot of the steps. "What the fuck are you doing to my cousin!?" she cried again, Haseo flying down the hallway. He quickly found a bathroom and locked himself in. Hardly a second later the door shuddered as if an earthquake hit it as Loano tried to break the door down.

"Lo wait, Masaru was joking!" he heard Celena protest as he huddled up in the bathtub in fear. "We were just going to kiss!"

"If you were that far with him then it only stands to reason that you'd say that to try protecting him." Lo answered with a cold air. The door shuddered again, Haseo flinching and shaking in fear. He looked up when he heard a tap on the window. Falcomon waved out, Haseo understanding. He moved over quickly, opening the glass and moving out onto a branch that was at the window's level.

"How did you two go from your room to out here so quickly?" Haseo asked as he closed the window.

"It's not the fastest move we've ever done." Falcomon answered with a shrug.

"Compared to that, this was easy." Ikuto added with a smile. Haseo shrugged, not caring enough for a more elaborate answer. The three climbed down the tree, Celena and Lo still in front of the bathroom door. The three gently snuck back into the house, Haseo finding Touma who seemed very confused about what was happening.

"Touma," Haseo said politely, as if a psycho blonde wasn't trying to kill him over a misunderstanding. "Might we please adjourn for the night? I am feeling rather tired."

"Yeah, I think that would be the best." Touma agreed, placing his plate in the sink. He looked up the stairs curiously though, wondering if he should call the two girls.

"Leave 'em." Kidd barked.

"They can stay the night here." Misuzu said with a shrug. "Besides, if we called Lo down here then well," the black haired woman trailed off. "I'd rather not worry about cleaning up the blood and brain matter so this seems like the best thing."

Haseo bowed to her gratefully. "Thank you very much Lady Misuzu."

"Can I stay too?" Dorumon asked with a wide grin. "I like this place, it's fun."

"No, no, we must not impose." Haseo reasoned politely. The group that was leaving went back to Touma's Limo. All in all it consisted of Touma, Gaomon, Haseo, Kidd, and Dorumon. Adam seemed to have decided to stay there as well. Everyone piled into the car and they were quickly on their way.

"I'm impressed Haseo." Touma remarked. "I've seen Lo really screw some guys up before. Myself included actually. You seem to be holding up pretty well though."

"Thank you Touma." Haseo said gratefully, crossing his leg over his lap as if to hide something. "I believe I handled myself rather well, all things considered." He added, trying to ignore the warm moist feeling of his black jeans.

"Though," he added. "I fear you may have to buy Lady Misuzu a new door tomorrow. It seems her family really has bad luck when it comes to things destroying their houses."


	48. Chapter 48

The small group watched Arcadimon fumble with his pizza. The pink spider had taken a piece from the leftovers, which was a bit impressive considering he had no hands, and was now in the living room trying to cut it up and eat it from it's plate. Ikuto stopped the plate from being flipped over, sighing to himself.

"I thought Ikuto was a messy eater." Chika muttered.

"Please be careful." Ikuto said, trying to be nice to the odd digimon. "I think that pizza will stain the carpet, whatever that means."

"At least he's trying." Falcomon said proudly.

"He won't understand you." Adam said calmly, the others looking at him. "Arcadimon only understands me and only I can understand him apparently."

"Really?" Piyomon asked curiously.

"Oh yeah. Apparently everyone else hears hissing and he hears hissing from me when I speak, which apparently he understands." Adam explained, tearing the pizza up into skewer-able pieces for Arcadimon. He gave his thanks before eating a piece with a wide, though creepy, grin. "I'm kind of glad though." Adam added, smiling back at Arcadimon. "It's like we have sort of a secret language."

"You guys seem like good friends." Chika said. "I'm still a little new to the whole digimon thing too all things considered. But still, I'm glad Piyomon's egg made it's way to me."

"I am too." The pink bird agreed with what Adam took for a smile on his beak.

"You're new to this too huh?" Adam asked. "Glad to know I'm not the only one. What about you Ikuto? How long have you known Falcomon?"

"I've been with digimon my whole life." The boy answered with a wide smile.

"Lucky!" Adam cried, feeling a little envious.

"Yeah, not as lucky as you'd think." Chika muttered to herself as she watched her friends.

"Well in any case I'm just glad to have been given Arcadimon by the Boss." Adam said, pulling his partner into a one armed hug. "He's my best digimon friend."

"Who's you're best human friend?" Falcomon asked curiously.

"Ian. Though everyone calls him Jasper." Adam answered. "He moved to Japan when he was a little boy, from Brazil."

"Where?" Ikuto asked curiously.

"Another country." Chika answered.

"How many are there!?" the boy cried in exasperation.

"Good question." Adam said thoughtfully. "Anyway, Jasper and I met when we both started school. We introduced Rai, his brother, to Celena and then Rai introduced her to Sakura, and Celena introduced all of them to Loaño and Kidd and years later we're all great friends."

"What's Jasper like?" Falcomon asked curiously, wanting to know more about other humans.

"Oh he's great!" Adam praised excitedly. "He's really kind and super smart. He's like a genius! He helps me all the time with my homework when I need it. And he looks so happy when he's thinking something over; you can see it in his emerald eyes. And he can speak three languages too! Japanese, Portuguese, and English!"

"Port what?" Ikuto asked, looking confused again.

"It's another language." Chika explained for him. "And before you ask, I don't know how many of those there are either." She turned back to Adam, smiling. "Well it sounds like he's a nice guy. Maybe you should ask if he can come over next time we all see each other."

"I will, definitely!" Adam answered excitedly. "I really like Jasper. He doesn't have a lot of friends, but he knows he can trust in me no matter what. I'll always be there for him." Adam was cut off suddenly as Kidd jumped into the room, a panic filled look on his face.

"I was never here." He barked before racing out the back door.

"What was that about?" Arcadimon asked.

"I think it's best not to ask." Adam answered.

"Haseo, would you please get that?" Celena's mother asked kindly.

"Of course." Haseo answered, appearing in the kitchen a few seconds later. He answered the phone, politely and clearly saying, "Kurosaki residence. Haseo speaking."

"Yo!"

"Boss?"

"Hey Haseo." His father answered in his usual happy voice. "How are you doing?"

Haseo thought over the events of the night and smiled. "I am doing quiet well, all things considered."

"Oh yeah?" Boss asked curiously. "Still a virgin I hope."

"Indeed." Haseo answered, quite used to the Boss' blunt way of speaking. "So why exactly have you called again?"

"Always getting down to business, so serious." The man muttered. "If I didn't know any better I'd say I wasn't the one who raised you." Haseo heard the Boss open something and slam it shut. "I was just sent a file by DATS, apparently a digimon broke in to the human world earlier today. Yoshino and Lalamon appeared at the scene but they couldn't find the target. I ran the data they collected against some of our own and came up with an interesting result."

"Interesting?" Haseo asked, the word meaning all kinds of things to the Boss.

"Yeah." The Boss answered, growing serious. "You remember why Gaiomon's castle is where it is right?"

"Indeed." Haseo answered. "The mountain it is hidden within houses many kinds of rare minerals, including almost all kinds of Digizoid metals and many other rare minerals. You stationed Gaiomon there to watch over the mining process."

"A+ for my boy." Boss said warmly. "Well just the other day, while the whole volcano incident was going on, someone broke in and stole several metals and ores."

"Goodness!" Haseo cried worriedly. "What all was stolen?"

"Primarily Green Chrome Digizoid." Boss answered seriously, Haseo frowning. "And stolen from the forest was Green Diamante."

"But that means,"

"Exactly." Boss answered. "So keep an eye out for anything suspicious. And keep an eye on Dracomon and Jasper."

"Right." Haseo agreed with a nod.

"We're back!" Celena cried as her small group entered the home. Haseo met her in the hallway and the two smiled at each other. Haseo noticed Falcomon and Ikuto standing behind Adam and Arcadimon, both looking a little nervous. "They're going to stay here for a few hours and maybe overnight." Celena explained, Haseo nodding in understanding.

"Well it is nice to see Adam making new friends." Haseo said kindly.

"Hey, I have plenty of friends!" Adam protested. "I have Jasper, and Lockheed, and Arcadimon. That's three right there. Not to mention all of you guys."

"Perhaps I should rephrase." Haseo said apologetically. "It is nice to see you making friends your own age."

"Why?" Adam asked, throwing Haseo off guard a bit. "Having older friends shows I'm mature and a really cool guy. Right?"

"Uhm, I guess." Ikuto said uncertainly.

"Right, you're the physical embodiment of maturity." Celena joked as she moved into the living room. A sleepy Lunamon floated behind her, Haseo following behind her and leaving the four boys alone.

"Come on, we'll show you our room." Adam said, pulling Ikuto upstairs before he could protest. Falcomon shrugged as he followed behind the other three. Adam opened the door and let the three in, smiling proudly as they entered his cluttered room.

"You sure have a lot of toys." Ikuto muttered to himself as he looked around. 'Is this normal?' he wondered to himself, looking at a particularly complicated looking plastic doll. "You have a lot of dolls." He said offhandedly.

"They're not dolls!" Adam cried, obviously offended, Ikuto wondering if he had said something wrong. "They're called action figures!"

"Yeah! Action figures!" Arcadimon agreed, though only did so since Adam seemed angry over something.

"Chika and Piyomon call these dolls." Falcomon said as he examined one in his wings.

"Yeah well, they're girls. They have dolls, and boys had action figures." Adam corrected.

"Piyomon is a boy." Falcomon corrected blankly.

Adam frowned as he processed this information. "But he's pink." He said, not fully comprehending.

"So am I." Arcadimon sulked.

"Wait, no I didn't mean that was a bad thing!" Adam cried as he tried to cheer his partner up.

"What's this thing?" Ikuto asked as he picked up a large, colorful gun. He aimed it at Falcomon and pulled the trigger. The large dart hit the back of Falcomon's head, making him turn around suddenly. He tripped and fell over, Ikuto helping him up quickly. Adam tried helping Falcomon up to, but Arcadimon was latched to his side in a friendship hug and the two fell over. They dragged Ikuto down, and knocked Falcomon back down onto the ground. They tumbled around, ending up in a big pile on the floor.

"Ow." Falcomon said quietly.

"Not our finest moment." Adam chuckled as he stood up. He offered Ikuto his hand, but the boy merely stared at it. Adam frowned worriedly, unable to understand the look on the other boy's. Ikuto hesitantly gave him his hand and Adam helped him up. Meanwhile Falcomon tried helping Arcadimon up but due to Arcadimon's pointed leg claws it was proving to be very difficult. The two boys laughed as they watched their partners fumble around clumsily before moving over and helping them.

"Hey Adam?" Ikuto asked suddenly. Adam helped balance Arcadimon before looking at Ikuto curiously. "You and Arcadimon fight with your sister right?"

Adam frowned for a moment. "As in fighting with her or fighting alongside her?"

"The second." Ikuto answered.

"Oh. Yeah, why?" Adam asked curiously.

Ikuto sat down on the bed, looking very serious as he tried to find the right words. "Why do you?" he asked, catching Adam a little off guard. "Why did you go to that volcano and help the digimon?"

Adam frowned at his new friend, caught off guard by the question. "Why?" he asked. "What do you mean why?" Adam looked to Arcadimon and smiled. "If people are being hurt or could get hurt and you have the power to stop it, then you should."

"Weren't you worried?" Falcomon asked. "You must have been scared. You hardly had Arcadimon at all and suddenly you were going off to fight digimon that could crush you between their fingers."

Adam smiled and nodded. "Oh yeah, I was terrified half the time." He admitted. "But I refused to let that stop me. No matter how bad something seems, you have to stay confident." Adam pulled out his crest, showing it to Ikuto and Falcomon who seemed to recognize it instantly. "You just have to have hope, no matter what." Adam said with a wide smile. "With a little hope, anything is possible."

Ikuto smiled at Adam and nodded. "And friends too." He added with a wide smile.

"Adam!" Celen called up to him suddenly. "Jasper just called and he said you need to get over to his house right away! He said it's really important!"

Adam frowned as he headed for the door. "Something important?" he muttered worriedly. He turned to Ikuto and Falcomoon, motioning for them to follow him. "Looks like you guys get to meet Jas and Lockheed earlier than I thought." He said with a worried smile.

"Adam!" Jasper cried, throwing his arms around the other boy. Ikuto and Falcomon both pulled back, seemingly worried but Adam was too busy trying to calm down his friend. "Oh Adam! It's horrible, terrible!"

"I think you guys should come inside." Rai said, Adam noting Hawkmon, Masaru, and Agumon in the hallway. The group walked in, Jasper in tears the whole time. Adam put Jasper down in the living room, feeling off. It felt strange for some reason. There was something missing. Something loud, and obnoxious.

"Where's Lockheed?" Adam asked suddenly, the other boys and digimon covering their ears immediately as Jasper exploded into more tears.

"He's gone!" Jasper cried loudly. "We got into an argument last night and then this morning he was just gone! Adam we have to find him!"

"I called Masaru over while our parents calmed down Jasper." Rai explained to Ikuto and Falcomon, the two nodding in understanding.

"What was the fight about?" Adam asked, Jasper suddenly growing a little quiet.

"I stepped on his tail." Jasper squeaked shyly.

"You can't do that!" Ikuto snapped angrily. "You have to be careful around digimon! How would you like it if someone kicked your butt or something!? Humans are so mean to digimon, it make me sick! How could you be so heartless!? No wonder he run away, you probably not even apologize!" By now Ikuto was glaring down on Jasper who seemed extremely scared, then confused, and then angry.

"How dare you!" Jasper shouted at Ikuto, shocking the other ten year old. "I'll have you know that I apologized profusely to Lockheed! When he grew angry, I begged for his forgiveness, practically throwing myself to the ground! I have always taken care of my partner above myself, no matter what's happened to us! Lockheed is my very best friend, no matter what! And I do not want some grammatically challenged moron I don't even know coming into my home and insulting my friendship with my partner!"

Ikuto's face grew red for a moment, for a split second everyone thought he would punch the now standing and clearly angry Brazilian boy. Ikuto stared at him coldly, not even Falcomon was entirely sure of what he would do. But the second passed, and Ikuto smiled at Jasper. He put a hand on Jasper's shoulder, everyone sighing and Jasper frowning in confusion. "I was wrong." Ikuto said with a smile. "You're a good human. We'll help find Lockheed."

Jasper's confusion was replaced with a thankful smile and he nodded. "Thank you!" he cried with a few tears in his eyes.

"That was weird." Hawkmon muttered.

"I've seen something sort of similar happened between Aniki and Touma." Agumon said thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, those two and these two seem kind of alike." Adam nodded in agreement as he watched his two friends. "So where does Lockheed like going the most?" Adam asked.

Jasper thought about it for a moment before snapping his fingers. "The lake!"

"There's a lake?" Ikuto and Falcomon asked.

"Yeah, it's back in the park." Rai answered.

"It used to be quite popular but people lost there interest in it." Hawkmon explained. "Over the years bushes and such grew in the path and people sort of forgot about it. Lockheed was out exploring in the park one day and sniffed it out. It's his and Jasper's favorite place to be."

"Exactly!" Jasper cried. "I'll bet almost anything that he's there!"

Lockheed sat over the pond, his head aching in pain. His wings were drooping down sadly and his tail was motionless. Why did he snap at Jasper like that? It wasn't the boy's fault he stepped on his tail, he was bringing him a bunch of sheets for Lockheed to use and couldn't see where he was going. And it didn't even hurt that much.

Lockheed sat on the lakeside, feeling awful. His body ached, he had yelled at his best friend in two worlds, and he just felt so upset! It was like something was nagging at his heart, making him feel so anxious and frustrated! Lockheed roared suddenly, plunging his head into the cold water for a few seconds. He pulled out soon after, breathing heavily. The cold water felt good on his scales, but it did little to alleviate his awful feelings.

"My, my, is everything alright?" a sneering, familiar voice asked.

Lockheed stood, turning around and glaring at the man behind him. He wore a blue suit, with a gray overcoat over it with a red rim. He had a red scarf tied around his neck which blew around him dramatically and held in his left hand a massive machinegun. He had long gray hair and a strange mask that looked like a demonic teddy bear head. "You look awfully upset little Lockheed." Astamon sneered.

"You." Lockheed muttered as he stared at the man. "You smell like that bear that attacked us at the arcade." He growled. "You're Belphemon!"

"Not quite." The man laughed. "I am Astamon, the Perfect form of my aforementioned appearance. Now tell me, what is an innocent little dragon like you hiding out here for? Run away form home perhaps?"

"Shut up!" Lockheed snarled angrily.

"My, so angry today." Astamon chuckled. "Would it perhaps have something to do with this?" he asked as he dipped into his jacket and pulled forth a large green crystal. Lockheed's eyes widened as he stared at the crystal. Astamon laughed as he waved the crystal in his hand, Lockheed following. "That's right, I have a present for you." Astamon tossed the crystal to the ground, Lockheed running for it.

He stopped himself suddenly, pulling away. "No!" he cried a she tried making himself move away. "No, no! I won't let that control me!" he cried. He gasped as Astamon suddenly grabbed his neck.

"It seems you've deluded yourself into thinking you have a choice." Astamon laughed as he dragged Lockheed towards the large glowing crystal.

As the group ran to the lake, they were stopped by a sudden barrage of bullets. Arcadimon flew himself in front of Adam, his claws glowing. They erased the bullets from existence, leaving behind only a dark energy that flew into Arcadimon and disappeared. He let out a low hiss. A warning to whoever had fired on his partner.

"Pretty quick reflexes." The man said as he emerged.

"Beelzemon!" Masaru cried, recognizing the hellish biker immediately.

"That's right kid." Beelzemon said with a smirk, bringing his gun up and leaning it against his right shoulder.

"Where's Lockheed!?" Jasper yelled angrily.

"Lockheed?" Beelzemon asked, bringing his gun under his chin like one would put a hand when thinking something over. "Lockheed? Let me think. Small dragon? Green and tan scales? Red horns? Quirky attitude unless he pet his neck and he starts flying off the walls and shootin' 'is lazers?"

"Where is he!?" Jasper roared, his green digisoul flaring up a bit.

"Well, he just might be back at that lake over there." Beelzemon chuckle.d "Thing is, my hunting buddy Astamon asked me to only let the little kiddies pass. Something about revenge and an arcade or something."

"Astamon?" Falcomon asked in shock.

"Belphemon." Ikuto growled.

"That's right!" Beelzemon laughed, aiming his gun at the boy. Falcomon knocked him to the groun, the bullet narrowly missing the ten year old. "Get moving you three, otherwise I may have to kill you too!" he roared with delighted glee as he turned on Jasper and Adam. The two and Arcadimon rushed past Beelzemon as he reloaded his guns. "Normally my guns run on magic." Beelzemon sneered. "But I had Kurata make these for me, just for you Daimon."

"Kurata is still alive!?" Masaru cried in shock.

"No way! We say him burn up with out own eyes!" Agumon protested.

"Yeah well, you'll have to ask him hand Belphemon as to how they got out of that situation." Beelzemon sneered. "That is, if you can survive against me!"

The three ran towards the lake, but stopped dead when they got there. "Lockheed!" Jasper cried in horror as they came upon the large dragon. Lockheed had been forced to evolve, but rather than being sapphire blue he was a dark emerald green. He snarled at them as they appeared, Astamon giggling as he made his escape into a dark portal. "Lockheed it's me!" Jasper cried, walking towards the dragon calmly.

Lockheed stalked towards him, looking down on the small boy. Jasper gave him a pleading smile, tears in his eyes. Lockheed quieted, leaning down and sniffing Jasper quietly. "Jasper." He whispered quietly. Jasper's eyes lit up as Lockheed-

SLAM!

Lockheed had spun around, striking Jasper away with his thick tail. Adam gasped in horror as his friend fell to the ground, still and silent. Without even touching his digivice he forced Arcadimon to evolve to his Adult form, who proceeded to attack Lockheed with a loud, wailing hiss. Adam ran over to Lockheed, feeling the Brazilian boy over for any injuries. Although he was still breathing, it was ragged and he had a large bruise on his chest where Lockheed had struck him.

Meanwhile, Lockheed was busy beating Arcadimon. Arcadimon shrieked as his skin was burned by Lockheed's green flames. Arcadimon pushed the dragon off, pushing him back with his stretchable arms. He crawled away, his body slowly healing itself by absorbing the excess digital particles in the air.

He stood up, turning on Lockheed who roared at him. The dragon flew towards him, their claws locking together as they struggled against each other. 'I have to beat him.' Arcadimon thought. 'But it's Lockheed. Adam will be upset if I kill him.' Arcadimon was pulled out f his thoughts as Lockheed opened up another stomach full of flames that burned through his face. Arcadimon shrieked, unleashing a burst of energy from his body that knocked the dragon away. Arcadimon took his chance, sending both hands out, punching Lockheed's chest and knocking the breath out of him. Arcadimon retreated, slowly healing.

'Wow, I'm healing really well today!' he thought to himself as he felt his skin close up. 'I'm healing as well as the boss! But why?' Arcadimon looked around, finding the large crystal Astamon had left behind. He noticed the green glow, looked to the savage green Lockheed, and looked to the flowing green particles sealing up his wounds.

"Jackpot!" he cried.

Lockheed was surprised to see Arcqadimon take the offensive this time. "Prison Claw!" Arcadimon roared as his fingers extended and wrapped around him. He stopped, using all of his momentum and throwing Lockheed into the crystal. It shattered around Lockheed, the crystals covering his skin.

"Did it work?" Adam asked, praying the battle was over so they could get Jasper help.

Lockheed unleashed a horrible roar as his body was covered in green energy, taking on a new horrid shape.

"Nope." Arcadimon answered fearfully.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 47: Hopeful Plight

Beelzemon laughed as he fired two more bullets. They were explosive rounds, created just for him by Kurata and they were so much fun to use. The explosion knocked Masaru back, keeping him from punching the hellish biker yet again. Beelzemon flipped around, dodging the golden blade of the ninja he was also fighting with ease. He landed on a tree branch, loading his gun again.

"Now this is fun!" he laughed excitedly.

"You coward!" Ikuto yelled angrily. "Fight fair!"

"This is fair!" Beelzemon retorted. "I'm humanoid, Ravemon's humanoid. What, two against one is fair? A single humanoid biker with two guns against a bigass dragon thing is fair?" Distracted by his retort, Beelzemon failed to see Ravemon fly up behind him. He spun around, forming into a silver tornado that struck Beelzemon's back. The biker roared in pain as he felt the claw shred into his back, the jacket he wore barely protecting him.

Beelzemon fell to the ground when Ravemon stopped the attack. Beelzemon landed, thanking his armor-like clothing. He brought his hands up to unleash hell on Ravemon but gasped when his guns were missing. "Damn bird!" he roared as he ran towards his guns. He gasped when Ikuto picked them up, smiling at Beelzemon.

"Quick, hit him!" Agumon cried frantically.

"How!?" Ikuto asked, never holding a gun before. He aimed them at Beelzemon the way the biker always did but frowned when nothing happen. Beelzemon laughed as he started running at the boy.

"Pull the trigger dammit!" Masaru ordered, fearful for the boy's safety.

"Trigger?" Ikuto asked, grabbing the gun a little tighter as he looked at it. His eyes widened as Beelzemon was blown back by the explosive round fired at him. Ikuto smiled proudly as he aimed the guns at Beelzemon, now knowing what to do. He fired again, the rounds exploding when they hit Beelzemon. "I got him!" he cried proudly.

"You sure did, little bastard." Beelzemon gasped from within the debris his guns had picked up. "You sure fucking did!" The debris was blown away as Beelzemon revealed his massive wings. Ravemon roared as he charged at him, his sword covered with purple electricity. Beelzemon turned, calmly grabbing the bird's wrist and breaking it with his hand. Ravemon cried out, his sword dropping to the ground. Beelzemon threw him into a tree and picked the sword up.

"You hit me with my guns." Beelzemon laughed maniacally as he walked towards the fearful Ikuto. "So how about I return the favor be skewering you with your partner's sword?" Ikuto backed away fearfully, pulling at the triggers which clicked harmlessly. Beelzemon laughed maniacally. "Yeah my guns can't hold a lot of ammo. Why do you think I use magic for forming my bullets? The reloading takes too much time when fighting hordes of enemies!"

CRACK!

Beelzemon failed to remember why he had even brought in the exploding rounds. Masaru smiled as he punched Beelzemon away form his ninja friend, the demonic biker being knocked aside. "Alright." Masaru said, his digisoul flaring. "Time to finish what we started at the volcano. Agumon?"

"Ready Aniki!" Agumon cried as he junped in front of Masaru.

"Digisoul Charge, Overdrive!" Masaru cried as he filled his digivice.

"Agumon Shinka!" Agumon exploded into his much larger Ultimate form. "ShineGreymon!" he roared, glaring down at Beelzemon. Ikuto let out a relieved sigh, falling down and sitting. Ravemon appeared behind him, his wrist would need to be looked at by Touma but overall he was okay.

"Alright fine!" Beelzemon roared. He appeared before Ikuto and Ravemon, stealing his guns. He didn't bother with attacking them, instead appearing at ShineGraymon's eye level. "You want me to fight serious?" he sneered as his two guns glowed. "Then let's fight for real!" The guns glowed, fusing onto Beelzemon's right arm. "Hit the mark!" he roared. "My Corona!"

The guns formed a cannon over his arm, not just on it but fusing with it. The end was like a claw, opening up and charging with purple energy. He smiled as he aimed it at ShinGreymon, having a massive target to work with. ShineGreymon tried punching him out of the sky, but Beelzemon appeared behind him. "Corona Destroyer!" he roared, firing a ball of energy that crashed into ShineGreymon and toppled him over.

"Dammit!" Masru cursed, remembering their battle from in the volcano. "He's too fast for us to hit!"

"Ravemon." Ikuto said quietly, looking at his partner's wrist. "Can you still fight?"

"I think so." Ravemon answered confidently. "Thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah." Ikuto answered as his body was surrounded by his purple digisoul. He took his digivice out, turning it on it's side. "Digisoul charge!" he cried as it all formed over his hand. "Burst Mode!"

Ravemon was covered by the purple energy, covering him completely. "No offense guys." His voice echoed as he changed forms. The energy vanished, revealing his red mask to be black with a longer headband tail. His black armor changed, now sleek black and white in different places. His legs and arms were covered in sharp purple feathers that glowed. His whole body crackled with purple electricity as he stood over Ikuto, the boy smiling proudly. "But I think you should leave an opponent like him to us!" Ravemon cried before vanishing from sight.

Beelzemon looked around, unable to see where the ninja raven had vanished to. "Dotou Yami Kumo no Mai!" Beelzemon gasped as he felt his body get cut up from every direction. Ravemon whirled around him, shi sharp claws and feathers cutting into Beelzemon as he flew around the biker. Beelzemon was unable to track the rave, only seeing a massive blur around him and feeling attacks form everywhere due to the ground wings.

"Dark Slinger!" he cried, firing in random directions with his massive gun. Ravemon was forced to move away, though the biker wasn't left unscathed. Beelzemon glared at the bird who smirked at him confidently. "Don't look at me like that!" Beelzemon roared. "I'll clip your fucking wings!" Beelzemon began creating a glowing inverted pentagram in the sky.

"Careful Ravemon!" ShinGreymon roared, forming a massive energy in his hands. "Glorious Burst!" he roared, hitting Beelzemon out of the sky.

"Raikou Issin no Tsuki!" Ravemon roared, his wings crackling. He unleashed a massive wave of energy from his wings, covering Beelzemon in it. Beelzemon roared with pain as his body coursed with the energy. He landed on the ground, his body smoking from the fires and lightening he had been struck with.

"Is he down?" Ikuto asked as he looked at the smoking biker.

"Dammit." Beelzemon gasped as he slowly stood up. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" he roared into the sky. "I won't loose to you fucking weaklings!"

"Enough Beelzemon." Astamon said, appearing behind his friend.

"You!" Masaru cried. Though he failed to recognize his form, he knew that was Belphemon simply due to the presence he gave off.

"We've done our jobs. We can retreat." Astamon said calmly.

"Fuck that shit!" Beelzemon roared angrily. "I refuse to let these punks beat me!"

"Come now Beelzemon, you were perfectly fine with leaving at the volcano." Astamon reasoned.

"Yeah, when I was winning!" Beelzemon roared, turning on his friend. "But I refuse to run with my tail between my legs!"

Astamon sighed at his friend. "You're really so troublesome sometimes. All of you are really." He walked towards Masaru and the others, ignoring Beelzemon's protests. "You're bloodthirsty, and I respect that. But we all need to realize when we can't win."

"You're smarter than last time." Masaru said with a smirk. "You weren't so happy about being beaten by us lousy humans last time."

"True." Astamon shrugged. "But I'm in a much better shape since then. You caught me just after a nice nap, ad as anyone will tell you I am very cranky when I first wake up. But that was then and this is now." Astamon waved his hand, creating a digital portal. Before annoying could protest, including Beelzemon, Astamon dragged his biker friend through the portal and they disappeared.

"They're gone." ShineGreymon sighed.

"Come on, we need to get to the lake." Masru said, Ikuto and Ravemon nodding.

Lockheed was big and angry. Crawling on all fours, he was hunched close to the ground with black pistons coming from his elbows. He had sharp red claws and a much longer neck with a red horn on his nose. His head spikes hard sharpened considerably and his spine was covered by thick red scales going down his back. Ending on his tail was a massive mace. His wings had changed, forming large hands with red claws. His whole body glistened from the crystal dust that covered him.

"Oh snap." Adam and Arcadimon muttered as they stared at the large beast.

Lockheed roared as he turned on Arcadimon. He didn't even have to move to strike him, merely bringing his back claws up and slamming them down on Arcadimon. Arcadimon tried catching the claws, but they pushed him down, breaking into the ground and forming a crater. They lifted Arcadimon up and threw him down to the ground, Lockheed laughing maniacally.

"Arcadimon!" Adam cried out.

"L-lockheed." Jasper cried, gasping for breath.

"Jas!" Adam cried fearfully. "Don't move, I think he broke one of your ribs!"

"Lockheed!" Jasper coughed out as he stared at his monstrous partner. "Lockheed please, stop this." He pleaded quietly. Lockheed roared, apparently not hearing Jasper or simply not caring about him. He brought his tail up, crashing down onto Arcadimon, the crater deepening. Lockheed laughed at Arcadimon's pain as the demon struggled back up.

Arcadimon lashed his hands forward, striking Lockheed's face. Lockheed opened his mouth, biting down on his arms. Arcadimon wailed in pain as Lockheed began pulling him closer. "Lockheed stop!" Jasper coughed out, struggling out of Adam's arms.

"Jasper stop!" Adam cried, struggling to keep Jasper back. "That's not Lockheed anymore!"

"Yes it is!" Jasper insisted. "I know it is! Please Lockheed, listen to me! Stop doing this, you're not a monster remember! You promised you'd always stay with me no matter what! So please stop this!" Lockheed shook his head, trying to ignore Jasper. He let out a loud roar before pummeling the half-dead Arcadimon into the ground further.

"I told you!" Adam insisted.

"No, he can come back! I know he can!" Jasper cried out, tears streaming down his face. "I won't loose hope in my friend!"

"Hope?" Adam asked, looking back at Lockheed. Adam looked to Arcadimon, tears welling up in his eyes as he watched his friend get pummeled. "That's right!" he cried out, tears falling down his face. "With a little hope, anything is possible!" Adam was covered in his bright yellow digisoul. He took his digivie out, the shape of it changing to one more rectangular. It's inner parts were black, but the buttons and border were bright yellow. The symbol of Hope was grafted onto it as Adam's digisoul covered it. "I swear that no matter what happens to us I will never give up!" he cried as all of his digisoul formed in his right hand. "Digisoul, Full Charge!"

Arcadimon glowed; pushing Lockheed's claws away form him. He stood up, taking on a new form. His body became more fleshed out and muscular, his lower body being an off green with red claws. His upper chest, shoulders, and arms were all off yellow with strong red claws. He had demonic wings, the membranes made of red veins. His head was covered by an off white mask with red markings, wild red hair flowing out the back of it. He let out a low hiss as he stood up tall, standing at the same size as DoruGreymon had.

Lockheed was surprised by the sudden change but quickly took up the offensive again. Arcadimon caught his claws with his own, keeping the dragon back. He pushed them away, running forward and punching down on Lockheed's skull. The dragon roared, trying to push him back but Arcadimon would not be moved. Lockheed tried skewering him with his horn, running Arcadimon through.

"Adam." Arcadimon said, his voice not changing at all. "I can't kill Lockheed. What do I do instead?"

"Fix him!" Adam cried, unsure of what else to say.

"Okay." Arcadimon said simply. He brought his claws out, sticking them into Lockheed's long neck. "Dot Matrix!" he cried out, covering Lockheed with black energy. Lockheeded roared as Arcadimon tore his body in half, revealing the smaller Dracomon inside. Arcadimon roared, tearing through Lockheed's out shell and lifting both halves into the air. They glowed, becoming energy that flowed into Arcadimon that healed his wounds. Adam sighed in relief as he saw the crystal shards that had covered Lockheed also drain into Arcadimon.

"Wow." Agumon said, the four arriving in time to see the end of the fight.

"Lockheed!" Jasper cried, running over to Lockheed and falling over him. "Lockheed!" he cried, hugging his unconscious partner. "Lockheed you promised!" he coughed, feeling a sharp main in his chest. "Lockheed!" he cried, tears streaming down his face.

Touma sighed, walking out of the room. He was immediately assaulted by Adam questioning him. "Are they okay!?" Adam cried out. "Please, tell me they're okay!" Touma looke dup, seeing everyone from Celena's team and DATS in the room. "I don't know for sure." He said quietly. "The tail bruised his chest, but that's just a superficial wound. The real problem is his rib."

"What happened?" Yoshino asked worriedly.

"His rib broke and punctured a lung." Touma answered quietly. "I did everything I could but now it's all up to him."

"What about Lockheed?" Strabimon asked, hoping for better news.

"He's unconscious." Touma answered quietly. "He seems alright, but we won't know until he wakes up."

Rai got up, leaving the room without a word. Hawkmon followed behind him loyally, unsure of what his partner was thinking. The group was silent for a moment, each thinking their own thoughts. "Is there anything we can do?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"No." Touma sighed. "All we can do now is wait and hope."

"Alright then." Adam sighed, tears in his eyes. "That's what we'll do. Anything can happen with a little hope, right?


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 48: Black Wing Rhapsody

Hanekuro lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He and Ryudamon had just come home, deciding to leave the care of Jasper in the hands of a professional like Touma and the worrying about him in the hands of a professional like Rai. He stared up at the ceiling quietly, the only sound in the room was the deep breathing of Ryudamon as he slept curled up next to him. He absently ran a hand through Ryudamon's fur, the dragon uncurling a bit and smiling as he slept.

Hanekuro rolled over onto his side. He looked at his blank TV, staring at it but not really staring at it. Rai had been completely freaking out over Jasper when they left. He wondered if Rai had hit something, or someone, yet. Hanekuro tried getting him to calm down, worrying about Kaya's safety. Rai had snapped at him though, nearly punching him if Sakura hadn't stopped him. She apologized for Rai, saying he was only like this because of his little brother.

Little brother.

Hanekuro cringed as he thought about the words. It played in his head again and again, no matter how many times he tried blocking it out. And as he sat, alone in his room, the chanting slowly turned to "Ryou" churning through his mind. He had been so close to being with him again. So close to being able to bring him home to his parents. And if he did that, then everything would fix itself. Mom and dad would get back together, Ryou would live with them, and they would all live happily ever after. The End.

But that wasn't Ryou. It had been an imposter, only posing as Ryou. He had posed as Ryou, using that fake Dorumon as his partner. He betrayed him. He nearly killed Ryudamon, himself, and Kaya. Hanekuro stopped, shuddering to think about what that thing had implied what he would do to Kaya. Dex, he had called himself. Dex, Dex, Dex. Hanekuro gritted his teeth together, growing angrier every time the name rang through his head.

How he hated that thing. That damn monster. That imposter! He had no right to harm them like that. He had no right to disguise himself as Ryou! If Hanekuro did anything in his life, it would be finding Ryou and killing Dex. Slowly and painfully, making sure he knew every ounce of torture he had inflicted by wearing that damned mask.

"Ow!" Ryudamon cried suddenly. Hanekuro looked shocked, suddenly realizing he had been clenching that hand that was petting Ryudamon tighter and tighter as he thought of murdering Dex. "Sorry." He muttered to his partner. Ryudamon looked at him sleepily but worriedly.

"Are you alright Master?" he asked, seeing the empty look in his eyes. But that was a stupid question, and he already knew the answer. Master wasn't okay. He was hurting, deep in his heart. Hurt by the betrayal of Dex, posing as Ryou. Ryudamon crawled closer, hugging his Master comfortingly. Hanekuro didn't push him off, but he didn't return the gesture either.

Ryudamon let go, pulling away slightly. Hanekuro lied back down, looking away from Ryudamon. The furry samurai dragon frowned, trying to think something up. "How about we call Kaya and Koinumon?" he suggested cheerfully.

"Whatever." Hanekuro muttered absently.

Ryudamon pulled his Master's cell phone off of the bedside table and found Kaya's number. It rang a few times, Kaya picking up quickly. "Hey Kuro-kun." She greeted.

"Not quite." Ryudamon chuckled. "Do you and Koinumon want to come over? Master is feeling a little," Ryudamon paused, looking at the depressed boy. "Er, sick."

"Sure, no point sitting around and worrying I guess." Kaya said, understanding what Ryudamon meant. She hung up her cell phone, turning to the small group consisting of Celena, Haseo, Dorumon, Lunamon, and Koinumon. Everyone else was off worrying and waiting in other parts of the mansion, all deciding that there was too much negativity if everyone was in a single room.

"We're going to Hanekuro's." Kaya informed them.

"Mind if we come with?" Dorumon asked off handedly. "Quite honestly this waiting and worrying is boring as hell. I need something to do or I'll end up as emo as your friend."

"Ryu-nisan." Haseo scolded. He frowned though, thinking it over. "You do have a fair point though." He turned to Celena. "Keep us posted okay? I wish to know as soon as Jasper is better."

"Right." Celena said with a nod and smile. Kaya noticed a small extra bit in her smile. She wondered if something had finally happened between her and Haseo but had another friend to worry about now. The four set out for Hanekuro's house, off to comfort their friend.

Kaya rang the doorbell, politely announcing their presence. The one to open the door was an older man, wearing a business shirt tucked into a pair of pants. He had messy brown hair, light stubble under his chin, and small glasses on his face in front of blue eyes. It didn't take a lot for Haseo and Dorumon to reason that this was Hanekuro's father. The man seemed surprised when he saw Haseo, squinted his eyes, and then sighed.

"You shouldn't do that to your hair kid, it wrecks it." The man said.

"This is natural Sir." Haseo answered. Well, as natural as he knew anyway.

"Whatever." The man said with a one armed shrug, letting the four inside. "He's back in his room. I'm glad you're here honestly. He's been in a slump ever since you guys got back form your little field trip. You're sure nobody got hurt?"

"Well," Kaya muttered. Should she tell him what had happened with the fake Ryou? She wanted to, but somehow it felt like doing so would betray Hanekuro somehow. It was a family matter to be discussed, and maybe Hanekuro's family was broken up but at least he had a family.

"Nobody was hurt." Haseo answered, noticing Kaya's discomfort with the question. "Hanekuro is merely feeling sad. He met someone there that he grew attached to, but sadly they could not come with us. We will help him come to terms with this and maybe then he can fill you in on it more himself."

Kaya was surprised. Haseo hadn't outright lied, but he certainly hadn't told the man the full truth. Hanekuro's father nodded, going back to his office to continue his work. Kaya looked at Haseo, who still had a pleasant, polite smile on his face. "Do not look at me like that." He said calmly. "I am the son of the Boss remember. Is it truly so hard to believe that I can be manipulative when the need arises?"

"Well no." Kaya fumbled. "But the fact that you did it so readily kind of surprises me."

Haseo smiled at her comfortingly. "I realize how important the bond within a family is, and this is clearly a family matter. Though I feel we should not outright explain everything to everyone, I do believe that if we cheer up Hanekuro then it will be easier for him to open up to his father."

Kaya smiled, that sounded a bit more like Haseo. "Thanks, I agree." She said cheerfully. The four walked down towards Hanekuro's room, Kaya guiding them. They knocked on the bedroom door, Ryudamon answering it a moment later. Hanekuro was still laid out on his bed, looking asleep. Kaya walked over and pulled him up by his shirt collar.

"Rise and shine." She said cheerily, setting Hanekuro down on the bed so he was sitting up.

"Go away." He moaned, lying back down slowly.

"Dang." Dorumon grunted. "You really are depressed."

"Ryu-nisan." Haseo scolded.

Hanekuro looked at the two quietly and scowled. "Get out." He snapped suddenly.

"Who, us?" Haseo asked in confusion.

"Calm down man, I was just kidding." Dorumon answered in equal surprise.

"I said get out!" Hanekuro growled. He glared at the two of them, feeling like lashing out at something. That hair, that smile. God dammit, why did Haseo look so much like Ryou! And that dragon. And Dorumon, the same digimon as the thing Dex used as his fake partner. Looking at the two made his stomach churn in disgust, reminded even more of Dex and Ryou. "Just leave me alone. I don't want to look at the two of you." He snapped.

"Hanekuro!" Kaya cried. "Stop it right now. I know you're upset, but Haseo and Dorumon haven't done anything to you!"

"She's right." Koinumon agreed. "Hanekuro we all realize that you're upset but,"

"But what?" Hanekuro snapped. "You want to tell me how everything is okay? How my brother isn't dead? Really, are you even listening to yourselves? Cheer up Hanekuro, all that happened was a monstrous freak of nature appeared and posed as your little brother whom you lost years ago and then nearly killed you and your friends. Cheer up!" Hanekuro's voice dripped with sarcasm as he glared at the group. He lay back down, looking away from the group. "Just leave me alone to die."

"Hanekuro!" Kaya cried in shock.

Ryudamon was stunned. "You can't mean that!"

"Why not?" Hanekuro asked. "I'm useless. I'm only good for my crest, and even that thing is an insult. Friendship? Please. That doesn't describe me at all. I barely have two friends as it is."

"That is a lie!" Haseo cried out. "Hanekuro you have many friends. You have our entire team as friends."

"I'm only here because of my crest." Hanekuro insisted quietly.

"No!" Haseo insisted, pulling Hanekuro up. "You are just as important to this team as anyone else and everyone thinks of you as a good friend. Can you truly lie here and think that we do not care for you? If that were the case then why not just take your crest and leave you? According to your logic there must be someone more suited yes? Well the fact that you have it proves that that is not the case."

Hanekuro looked into Haseo's angry eyes, his own dead ones meeting his. "I hate you." He whispered, Haseo frowning. "You look so much like him, but I know you're not. But every time I see you, I feel my heart lurch as if I had found him." Hanekuro stared at Haseo sadly. "I hate you for looking so much like Ryou."

Haseo let Hanekuro drop to the bed. "I see." Haseo said quietly. "I see. You feel guilty yes? Of course I already knew you did, but for some reason I failed to realize the severity of it." Haseo let out a small sigh, everyone wondering where he was going with this. "Do you think you are the only one carrying the burden of guilt over loved ones you have lost? Of course you do. Nobody could ever understand the pain of losing someone you love right?"

"Otouto, are you really going to tell them?" Dorumon asked in shock.

"Tell us what?" Koinumon wondered a little worriedly.

"Haseo, what's he talking about?" Kaya asked.

"I killed at least twenty people when I was ten." Haseo answered quietly. Everyone, save Dorumon who merely looked down guiltily, gasped. "I didn't do it alone, but it was my fault." Haseo continued. "I allowed Daemon to enter the Boss' mansion where he began destroying the area. The Boss started fighting him, and two of his companions, and I began wishing I could get revenge. I forced Ryu-nisan to Death X Digivolve into DexDoruGreymon and he went on a rampage. Daemon killed at least ten digimon, we killed at least twenty, and countless were injured. And I was betrayed by my closest friend."

"Your closest friend?" Ryudamon asked sadly.

"Daemon." Hanekuro realized. "He tricked you didn't he?"

"He did." Haseo answered, his voice beginning to waver and his ears glossing over. "Please excuse me for a moment." He said politely before leaving the room. Dorumon quickly followed after him, the worry evident on his face.

The room was silent as they absorbed what Haseo had told them. Hanekuro suddenly felt sick. Haseo was carrying that with him, and he was lying around over something like this? Yes it was sad and he did feel awful about being betrayed, but there were worse things right? "Kaya." He muttered.

"Yeah?" the young girl asked quietly.

Hanekuro spread his arms out, his eyes welling up with tears. Kaya smiled at him, hugging her arms around him. "I'm done." Hanekuro sobbed. "I'll stop moping and whining. I'm done feeling sorry for myself. I'll start fighting with everyone." He cried into Kaya's shoulder, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "But I just need a few minutes to let it out." He cried. "I just want a few more minutes of feeling sorry for myself and then I'll try getting better. I promise."

"It's alright." Kaya consoled. "It's like I said, I promise to be their when you overdo yourself. You're allowed to feel sad and betrayed Kuro-kun. But you can't let it get in your way. You have to stand up and keep walking. You have to face life head on, no matter what. You do have friends. You have a lot of friends. And you have Ryudamon. And you have me." Kaya pulled out of Kurohane slowly, looking into his tear filled eyes.

She moved forward, putting her lips on his. They kissed, gently at first but with growing passion. Hanekuro's tears mixed in, giving the kiss a bittersweet flavor but it only made their feelings grow. The two stopped, looking at each other closely. Kaya let on a tiny smile, looking at Hanekuro. She gently wiped a single remaining tear away and smiled. "I owe Sakura five bucks." She chuckled lightly.

"Oh?" Hanekuro asked curiously, feeling a bit better.

"Yeah." Kaya answered with a smile. "I bet her I could kiss you before Celena kissed Haseo."

Hanekuro smiled and chuckled a bit. "That's not a fair bet." He joked before kissing her again. Haseo opened the door suddenly, his eyes opening when he saw the two. He looked to Koinumon and Ryudamon who had kindly turned their backs and allowed their partners some time to themselves. Haseo suddenly felt very awkward, and under that, a little jealous. He had nearly kissed Celena five times and never did, and they got it right on their first.

"Uhm." Dorumon said awkwardly.

The two pulled away, looking a little embarrassed. "Uh, sorry." Kaya apologized to the two brothers.

"Feeling better?" Hanekuro asked.

"It certainly seems that you are." Haseo answered. "Personally stories of genocide do not put me in the kissing mood but to each their own I suppose." He chuckled, reassuring the two that he was joking.

"Right, well as if there wasn't enough mood whiplash," Dorumon said, still feeling a little awkward. "There is a digimon attacking a shopping center near by. We're apparently the closest ones so DATS is requesting we try to help."

"Sure." Hanekuro said with a smile. "I could use some normality again."


End file.
